The view of the Boy with the Bread
by everlarkloveme
Summary: Peeta's perspective of his hunger games
1. Chapter 1

The Hunger Games from Peeta's point of view

I do not own the Hunger Games

Chapter 1 – the Reaping

I was awoken by my mother yelling at me to get up. It wasn't unusual to get woken up this way.

"Mother, why do we have to get up so early today?" I ask, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I check the clock. 4:30 in the morning; early for even a baker.

"Don't you know what day it is, stupid boy? It's the reaping day and if you're going to be sent to your death, I want you to have cooked some decent bread first! Now get out of bed, or your dinner will go to the pigs tonight!" she screams.

Ah yes. The reaping. How could I forget? You'd think something so nerve-wracking might stick in my head.

Many years ago, a place once called "North America" had been destroyed, and out of its ashes arose Panem, a country ruled by the Capitol. Panem had 13 districts to supply the Capitol everything they wished for. District one was in charge of luxury items, two was masonry, three was technology, four was fishing, five was power, six was transportation, seven was lumber, eight was textiles, district nine was grain, ten was livestock, eleven was agriculture, twelve was mining and thirteen was graphite mining and nuclear weapons. The Districts thought that the Capitol was too powerful, so they rebelled and lost the war. District Thirteen was destroyed. These times were called the "Dark Days."

To make sure that this never happened again, the Capitol came up with the concept of the "Hunger Games." The twelve Districts of Panem were to select a girl and boy tribute by "public reaping", meaning that all of the children between the ages of 12 and 18 had their names wrote on a slip. Your slips of paper built up over the years, meaning that at twelve years old, you had one slip, at thirteen two slips, so on. If you were on the brink of starvation, like many residents of District Twelve were, you could apply for "tesserae", where you would put your name in more times and in return, the Capitol would give you a supply of grain and oil for a year. You could enter for tesserae as many times as necessary. An escort from the Capitol had to call a name out and they would be whisked away to the Capitol to prepare for the Games. You were allowed to volunteer for your family or friends, but the word "tribute" was a synonym for "corpse" here in District Twelve, seeing as we only had 1 living victor, Haymitch Abernathy. Volunteers are rare.

At first, I think the Games were a practical way to warn the Districts about rebelling again, but now they are a source of entertainment and something to be celebrated by the Capitol.

They enjoy watching us die.

With these grim thoughts running through my head, I get up and start work.

At about 6 in the morning I see Katniss, and I can't help staring. What is it about her that makes all men in District Twelve love her? It most definitely isn't her personality; she is quite cold and unforgiving. Is it her looks? She is quite pretty, but there is nothing special about her. Then it hit me. It is her voice. I remember, on the very first day of school, my father pointed her out to me. He said, "See that girl over there? I wanted to marry her mother."

I was shocked, and I said, "Why didn't you?"

He replied, "She ran off with a coal miner."

This was even more surprising, so I said, "A coal miner? Why would she pick a coal miner over you?"

He chuckled lightly and replied, "Because when he sang, even the birds fell silent to listen." Later on in the day, the teacher had asked the class if anyone knew a song, and Katniss' hand shot straight up. She sang a tune about the forests and outside all of the birds fell silent, and I knew, from that day forth, that I was in love with Katniss Everdeen and that I would do everything in my power to make her mine.

I hear a bell ring, pulling me out of my day dream. Katniss' friend, Gale Hawthorne had walked in with a squirrel in his hands. "Got anything to trade for this?" he asks, holding out the squirrel.

I know we have some extra bread in the back, so I say, "Yeah, wait here." I know that he is going to share it with Katniss, so I think I'll get the best bread I can find. I come back, we trade, and he leaves without a word. I don't even notice he had left until the bell on the door rung. It was eerie how quiet he was. Must help with his hunting, I guess.

At about 1:00 I leave the bakery to get ready for the reaping at 2:00. Mother doesn't like us leaving until absolutely necessary, even on reaping days. When I get home, I hop in the bath and wash off all of the four that has somehow found its way onto my body. I then get out and get dressed in a blue shirt and some dress pants that had once belonged to my eldest brother, Jeffrey. I smooth back my hair and make my way to the square, where the reaping is held. I sign in and make my way over to the 16 year old males section.

"Hey, Peeta!" I hear. I turn around. I smile. It is my best friend, Logan. He is wearing a red shirt similar to my blue one, and dress pants. "How's it going, Logan?" I ask, shaking his hand. Hugs are also a rare occurrence, even between friends.

"You know same old, same old. Thinking about the very likely chance that I will compete in the Games may very well force me to an early grave," he says, dismissively waving his hand. "What about you? Gotten your dream girl yet?" he knows about me liking Katniss.

"Shut up, Logan," I groan, elbowing him in the ribs.

We hear the squeal of the microphone and everyone falls silent. "Welcome, welcome," says Effie Trinket, District Twelve's escort. They play the usual video about the dark days, and then the Mayor speaks. Now is the time for the reaping. "May the odds be _ever_ in your favour," trills Effie. She moves over to the glass bowls with the slips of paper in them. "Ladies first." She puts her hand in and digs around for a little bit. _Please not be Katniss please not Katniss please don't be Katniss. _The thoughts are running through my head over and over again. "The female tribute from District Twelve - Primrose Everdeen." I let out a sigh of relief. It isn't her. Then I realise.

_It is her sister._

Before I know what was happening, Katniss steps forward to volunteer for her sister. I have to bite my lip to keep from calling out. Her sister won't let go. I can tell Katniss is on the verge of crying. Gale comes up and takes Primrose away, muttering something to Katniss. "How exciting, a volunteer. And what's your name, sweetheart?" Effie asks.

"Katniss Everdeen," she replies, trying to sound bored.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister! Wouldn't want her stealing all of the glory now, would we?" asks Effie. I hate how the Capitol turns something so sweet into something so selfish. "Now for the boys," Effie says, moving towards the boys bowl. Again, she digs around for a while before pulling out a slip of paper. I am so shocked by Katniss volunteering that I almost don't hear it.

"Peeta Mellark," she says. No! I can't go in an arena with Katniss! I can't kill her! But I walk up to the stage anyway, and when Effie says so, Katniss and I shake hands and are escorted to the Justice Building.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 – IN THE JUSTICE BUILDING/ON THE TRAIN

I try to hold the tears in as I walk into my room and sit down on the couch. The fabric is unfamiliar to me, but it feels nice. I hear a buzz and a disembodied voice informs me that I have visitors. My father, my mother and my brothers walk in. Jeffrey pulls me into a tight embrace, and says "I would have if I could have." I could hear a break in his voice.

My other brother, Mark, hugs me and says "I am so sorry brother, but you understand, don't you?" I want to be mad at him, I so do, but I do understand his reasons. What Katniss did is a rational thing.

Next to embrace me is my father. Wow, for a whole life without any affection, these ten minutes before being sent to my death are quite full of affection. "I'm so sorry, son. I know you had feelings for the girl," at this, I hear a scoff coming from my mother's direction. "So I'll try to keep her family full if neither of you come back. I do, really hope you come back, though!" I feel his tears on my hair. As my father breaks away from our hug, my mother approaches me.

"District Twelve may finally have a victor," she says. I feel a twinge of hope. "She's a survivor, that one." I realise that she isn't talking about me, but talking about Katniss.

My mother is always great with the pep talks.

In what seems like seconds, the remainder of my 10 minutes with them is gone. The Peacekeepers take them away. _Well, 10 minutes down, 50 minutes to go._ I think no more visitors are coming, but a very frantic – looking Delly Cartwright bursts into the room. "You're allowed to have a token in the arena, right?" she asks. I see the way her watery eyes glimmer in the light. I nod my head. "Can you take this? As your token?" she asks, holding out a bracelet with a flower on it.

"Of course, Delly. In case I don't come back, I just want to let you know that I will always remember you and cherish our friendship," I started, tears welling up in my eyes. I must not cry.

"Stop talking like that Peeta, you will come back," she replies, tears starting to stream down her face. "Delly… I love her. I love Katniss. I can't kill her! I'm so sorry," I say, not caring about the tears streaming down my face.

"I'll miss you Peeta," she says. We hug until the Peacekeepers pull her out. _Well, at least now there's only 40 minutes until I leave._

I get another shock when none other than Gale Hawthorne walked in. "Hi, Peeta," he says, approaching me slowly and cautiously, his feet not making a sound.

"Hello, Gale," I reply, wondering why he isn't with Katniss.

"Look, Mellark, to make this visit short and sweet, I'll get straight to the point. I need you to help Katniss get out alive. I know you may think that's selfish of me or whatever, but I don't really care. She can't die. Not when she doesn't know that I love her," he says, still pacing around the carpet. So he loved her too. That explained them spending so much time together. I wonder how you can not know someone loves you. Then again, look at me.

"Okay, Hawthorne. I'll keep her alive. Oh, and if you ever find yourself short on food, stop by the bakery. If you tell my father that you knew me, he'll give you food," I reply with a dry smile.

"Thanks Mellark. Oh, and wherever you go after death, tell my father I said hi," he says, before leaving the room.

For the last half hour, I think about my life, my friends, Katniss and everything that in a matter of weeks will be here, without me. I imagine Katniss, growing up to marry Gale; Logan, proposing to his girlfriend. How I would have loved to be there for those things, I sigh to myself. _Snap out of it, Mellark, _I think to myself,_ you're already talking about yourself in the third person. _I continue to think back on my life, and I start to cry. I don't know why I'm crying, I think it's just a reflex to my thinking about my death. Also, I guess I'm a little bit upset about Logan not visiting. So much for best friends.

In what feels like minutes, Effie comes in and escorts me to the car to travel to the train. I know my face is red and puffy and I wish I hadn't cried. The cameras are all around us now, and I can see that Katniss looks a little bit bored. I wish I could mask my emotions like her, but the Mellarks were not known for their emotional strength.

We get on the train, and I'm pretty sure my jaw has dropped open. If the exterior was bland, it was all forgiven with the inside. Effie doesn't even stop to look because, being from the Capitol, she is used to beauty. I wish I could live in beauty like this every day, too. _Oh well, _I think, _at least I'll live in beauty for a little while. _

I get shown to a compartment and Effie tells me I can do whatever I want until dinner, which was in an hour. I decided to have a look through my compartment and have a shower. I have a hot shower with some gloop that makes me smell like roses. I get dressed and before I know it, Effie's calling me for dinner. I get up and head outside.

When I get there, Katniss isn't there yet, so I sit down and begin to load my plate. I hear a little noise, like an "hmph" coming from Effie. I see her plate has no food on it. "Problem, Effie?" I ask, putting down the plate that I was serving myself from.

"I find it polite to wait until all diners are present at the table before beginning _my _meal," she replies, turning her head from my plate, like it disgusted her.

"Well, Effie, I technically haven't started my meal yet, have I?" I ask, with a pointed look at my plate. She makes another noise, but doesn't say anything to challenge my statement, so I take that as a sign of defeat. Soon enough, Katniss joins us at the table and Effie starts to pile her plate up. She tells us to take it slow, and that there are more dishes to come, but I just can't resist. All of the food looks so good, and so _fresh, _that I have to taste it to make sure it's real.

"Effie, do you happen to know where Haymitch is? I'd like to discuss arena tactics with him, if that's at all possible," I ask halfway through the meal. She says that he's probably taking a nap. "Or he's drunk," observes Katniss. "He was drunk this morning at the reaping, wasn't he?" she says, and I notice Effie subtly pursing her lips.

"He's drunk at every reaping," I counter. It is true. I don't think I've ever seen him sober, and I'm not quite sure I want to.

"He's drunk every day," states Katniss. We both start laughing.

"Well, I don't think it's very funny. Haymitch controls your gifts, your sponsors and is your only outside source in the arena. He is the difference between life and death in the arena," she says.

Haymitch stumbles in, and manages to say "Oh, did I miss dinner?" before vomiting on the carpet and collapsing in it.

"So laugh away." Says Effie, walking away.

"I trip? Smells bad," asks Haymitch, covered in his own vomit. By some silent agreement, Katniss and I each grab one arm, pulling Haymitch from the sludge. We manage to take Haymitch to his quarters and get him in the bath.

"I'll take it from here," I say, noticing Katniss looks a little green.

"Do you want me to call one of the Capitol assistants?" She asks.

"No, I'll be fine. Go to bed, Katniss," I say, focusing on unbuttoning Haymitch's shirt. I wash all of the vomit off of him, get him dressed and into bed. I place him on his side, so he doesn't choke if he vomits again. I then leave for my own cabin and fall into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE – PREP DAY

I wake up and get dressed. I check the clock. It's about eight. I hear my stomach rumble, so I head outside to see if breakfast is up yet. It is.

There's Effie, as usual. To my surprise, Haymitch is there too. Her plate was empty again, and I suspect that Haymitch won't be eating for a while after what happened last night. I look at her, questioning if I can begin my meal. "You can start if you wish, Peeta." She says with a sigh. Last night's dinner had caused me to feel ill, so I thought I'd take it easy on the really rich stuff. There is a mug of some brown, unknown substance on the table in front of me. I ask Effie what it is, and she says it's called Hot Chocolate. I take a sip, and my mouth is instantly filled with the liquid. It is the best thing I have ever tasted. Much better than the stuff we make at home.

We used to make a similar beverage at home, and we'd always have some bread to dip in. I see a basket of rolls in front of me, so I take one and start dunking it in the beverage.

Katniss walks into the dining room and Haymitch calls her over. She sits down. From the looks of it, she had little or no sleep. She sniffs the hot chocolate, and I say "It's good. They call it hot chocolate." She takes a sip and a ghost of a smile appears on her lips. I love to see Katniss like this, her face clear and no scowl on it. I have to take a sip from my cup so she doesn't see my smile.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice," Says Katniss, looking at Haymitch. "Here's some advice," he says. "Stay alive." He then bursts out laughing. I exchange a look with Katniss. "That's funny," I say, lashing out at his glass. "Only not to us." The glass shatters on the floor, and Haymitch punches me. It doesn't hurt too much, seeing as Haymitch is too hung over to swing with full force. Katniss plunges a knife into the table, barely missing Haymitch's fingers. "Well, what's this? Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?" Haymitch asks.

I rise from my seat and reach to get some ice, but Haymitch says "No, let the bruise show. The audience will think you've mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it into the arena." "That's against the rules," I say. "Only if they catch you. The bruise will say you fought, you weren't caught, even better." He says. He turns to Katniss and asks "Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?" She takes the knife from the table and throws it between to panels of wood, and it sticks. "Stand over here. Both of you." We walk over and stand in front of him. He starts circling us, prodding us at times. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get a hold of you, you'll be attractive enough." He says.

"All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch. "But you'll have to do exactly what I say." It isn't exactly what I'd hoped for, but it's better than nothing. "Fine," I say. "So help us," Katniss says. "When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone –" "One thing at a time. In a few minutes we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," Haymitch says. "But-" begins Katniss. "No buts. Don't resist," says Haymitch. He takes a bottle of spirits and leaves the compartment. There is suddenly light streaming through the compartment, so I know we're in the Capitol. Neither Katniss nor I could resist, so we run to the window to catch a first glimpse of the Capitol. The people begin to point at us. Katniss backs away from the window, but I stay there and smile and wave. I feel Katniss' icy glare on my back and turn to her. She's got a questioning expression on her face. I shrug. "Who knows?" I say. "One of them may be rich."

As soon as we reached the station, we are escorted to the remake centre to prepare us for our stylists. I try not to complain, but when they are ripping hairs from your body, it is a bit hard not to yelp. I get plucked, then rinsed with gritty foam that took off any remainders of coal dust or anything from outside of the centre. This is done three times. The also rub some kind of oil on my face that they say stunts hair growth. I am told to put on my thin robe and wait for my stylist, Portia, to come and see me.

"Hello, Peeta. My name is Portia, and I am your stylist," says Portia, shaking my hand. Portia had frizzy white hair and her eyeliner made her eyes abnormally large. "Hello, Portia," I reply, smiling. "So Peeta, as you probably know, you are going to take a chariot ride through the city centre," Portia began. "As you also probably know, we have to dress you in something to represent your district. Cinna, your district partner's stylist, and I thought that the whole coal-miner thing was overdone, so we thought that instead, we'd focus more on the actual coal, rather than the miners. Now tell me, Peeta, are you afraid of fire?"


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR – IN THE CAPITOL

I can't believe it. They want to light us on fire. _They are either insane, brilliant, or murderous, _I think to myself. Cinna says it won't hurt, but I don't know if I can trust him yet. He seems okay.

The only noticeable alteration on him is the light appliance of golden eyeliner. I am dressed in a black leotard with lace up boots that end just below my knee, a cape and a matching headdress. Katniss is standing beside me, wearing almost the same outfit; hers altered to look more feminine.

"What do you think?" Katniss whispers. "About the fire?"

I think about the possibility of Katniss getting burns, and this worries me. "I'll rip your cape off if you'll rip off mine," I say through gritted teeth.

"Deal," she says. "I know we promised Haymitch we'd do exactly what they said, but I don't think he considered this angle."

I start to wonder. "Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn't he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?" I say, beginning to worry.

"With all that alcohol in him, it's probably not advisable to have him around an open flame," says Katniss. Suddenly we're both laughing. I think we're becoming friends.

The opening music starts to play. It's not hard to hear. I bet even District One could be able to hear it blasted at this volume. Large doors slide open to reveal the streets, lined with citizens of the Capitol _desperate_ to catch a glimpse of this year's tributes.

The ride lasts about 20 minutes, ending in the City Circle. There, they will welcome us, play the anthem and escort us to the Training Centre, where we will be held until the Games. District One's chariot pulls out. I look at the tributes, trying to guess what their strategies will be.

The girl from One isn't too hard to guess, with her long blonde hair. She's going sexy. The male, though, is a little more difficult to figure out. He's too small to pull off intimidating, too snobby to pull off nice. I decide he'll go arrogant, most of the smaller sized careers do. That's what District Twelve calls the tributes from 1, 2 and 4, because they spend their whole lives training for the games, so for them it's like a career. They generally win.

As I try to figure out strategies, a few tributes stick in my head. The monstrous boy from Two will go intimidating, the sly redhead from Five will probably go intelligent, and the large boy from Eleven will just be hostile. Cinna ushers us onto the chariot, wishing us luck and lighting us on fire. I'm surprised, it doesn't hurt. If anything, it tickles.

Cinna's motioning to his hands. "What's he saying?" Katniss asks, looking up at me. Her gaze lingers for a minute, and my heart skips a beat, "I think he's saying for us to hold hands," I reply, grasping Katniss' hand. We look back at Cinna and he gives us the nod of approval. We are then sent off into the city, smiling and waving for all to see.

When we stopped in the City Circle, the cameras were supposed to sweep over the tributes, but the darker it got; the harder it got to not notice us. Even the cameras linger on us for a while.

We are escorted to the Training Centre. We're all that anyone can talk about, Effie informs us. We all congratulate Cinna on his wonderful job. We ride the elevator up to floor twelve.

Effie's very free with her compliments, and not all of them are about our costumes. She keeps saying that we conducted ourselves perfectly; we were so well behaved, etc. She's been talking us up around her rich friends all day in the hope of getting us sponsors.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she says, her eyes squint half shut. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Katniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you've both successfully overcome the barbarism of your District."

I have to mentally restrain myself from punching something.

She continues. "Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal, it turns to pearls.'" Effie grins so much that Katniss and I have to congratulate her wit, even though she was completely wrong.

Living in the Capitol, though, she probably didn't know much about the natural world, just what buttons to push to get what she wanted. "Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," says Effie grimly. "But don't worry; I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary." She may not know anything about the natural world, but when it came to enthusiasm, Effie gets top marks.

We then get to go to our compartments, and to my delight, this one is even bigger than my compartment on the train. They have a machine, and if you tell it what you want to eat, it'll have it hot and ready in minutes. I go for a shower and change into a simple black tee and some brown pants. I hear a knock on the door, calling me to dinner.

I go out and take a seat at the table. Cinna and Portia are staying for dinner, and to my surprise, Haymitch is also joining us. Effie and Haymitch is an interesting pair, so I begin to wonder about the outcome of this dinner. A man dressed in a white tunic offers us all wine. Katniss accepts the glass, and I decline. Haymitch, as predicted, accepts. He must have had a stylist, because I have never seen him looking this… clean. I think he may even be sober.

Maybe he can stay together long enough to help Katniss and I. He starts on his soup, and I realise that, prior to now, I haven't seen him eat.

Cinna and Portia appear to have some sort of effect on Haymitch and Effie, because they can now address each other without insulting the intended receiver. Once we are done with our soup, which is the best thing I've tasted yet. Then they bring in a cake.

It is white and has flame decorations on it. I note the piping techniques so I can use them – _but you won't get a chance to use them,_ a voice says in my head. Anyway, a woman in a white tunic is approaching the cake with a lighter. I only have seconds to wonder why she is doing this before she bends down and puts the lighter to the edge of the cake. Our faces are illuminated by the flames coming from the cake. It follows a trail, so there must be some accelerant involved. "What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" asks Katniss, turning to the servant. "That's the last thing I wa- oh! I know you!" Katniss says, squinting. She's probably trying to figure out where she knows this girl from.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" Effie snaps. "The very thought."

"What's an Avox?" asks Katniss, turning to Effie.

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut out her tongue so she couldn't speak," says Haymitch.

"She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

"And if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," says Effie. "Of course, you don't really know her."

I can see Katniss thinking. "No, I guess not. I just-" begins Katniss. I can tell she's going to get in trouble, so to draw attention away from her I snap my fingers.

"Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realised she's a dead ringer for Delly," I say. I'm glad that I can lie easily, because I've given Katniss an excuse now. She jumps on my suggestion.

"Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair," she says.

"Something about the eyes, too," I say, easing in to the lie.

The tension at the table is lifted.

"Oh, well. If that's all it is," says Cinna. "And yes, the table has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it specially in honour of your fiery debut."

We eat the cake, which is way better than the ones I used to make back home, and move into the sitting room to watch the replay of the opening ceremonies. Some of the costumes were okay, some were pitiful and some didn't even make sense. I feel a rush of gratitude towards Cinna.

Even Cinna lets out a small sigh when we come out. It is kind of shocking to see two tributes, especially ones from Twelve, come out literally ablaze.

"Whose idea was the hand – holding?" asks Haymitch.

"Cinna's," replies Portia.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch. "Very nice."

I have to think about what he says for a minute. Rebellion? Why would any rebellion be a nice touch? I do know what Haymitch means, though. Presenting us as friends in a competition where you have to kill everyone.

It is a touch of rebellion.

"Tomorrow is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," says Haymitch to Katniss and I. "Now get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

Katniss and I walk along the corridor. When we get to her room, I lean against the frame. "So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here." I say, implying that I want an explanation.

Katniss hesitates. "Have you been on the roof yet?" I ask.

Katniss shakes her head. "You can see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud, though." I think she gets my message, because then she says, "Can we just go up?"

"Sure, come on," I say, leading the way. I lead her to the flight of stairs that lead to the roof. We exit through a door and are lead to the roof. The view is nice up here.

"I wondered why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" I say.

"Why do they?" asks Katniss.

"You can't," I say. I hold my hand out into the seemingly open space and receive an electrical shot that jerks my hand back. "Some kind of electrical field throws you back on the roof."

"Always worried about our safety," Katniss says. "Do you think they're watching us now?" she asks.

"Maybe," I say. Where can we talk? "Come see the garden."

On the other side of the roof they have a small garden with flower beds and potted trees. It is windy tonight, so the wind will drown out what we're saying if anyone's watching. I look at Katniss expectantly.

Katniss pretends to examine a blossom as she begins her story.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," she whispers.

"You and your father?" I whisper back.

"No, my friend Gale. Suddenly, all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," she says. She pauses, probably reliving that day.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere," she continues. "I mean, one minute the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast like the elevator. They shot some kind of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again as if nothing had happened."

"Did they see you?" I ask.

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," she replies.

She pauses again, probably still thinking. I notice she's shivering.

"You're shivering," I say. I remove my jacket and put it on her.

"They were from here?" I ask, securing a button around Katniss' neck so the jacket wouldn't fall off her. She nods. "Where do you suppose they were going?" I ask.

"I don't know that," she says. "Or why they would leave here.

"I'd leave here," I blurt out. I look around, checking for people listening. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime." I covered myself. Now I just sound like a scared tribute, as opposed to a conspirator.

"It's getting chilly, we better go in," I say. I'm getting a little cold now, but I don't want Katniss to know that. "Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?" I ask.

"Yes. Do you know him?" she asks.

"No, not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favour each other," I say. "Did he come to say goodbye to you?" I ask, remembering his brief visit.

"Yes," she says, looking at me piercingly, like she was observing my actions or something. "So did your father. He brought me cookies."

I raise my eyebrows. Mother wouldn't have approved of giving the cookies to Katniss. Probably would have said that it's a waste to give food to the dead, or something similar to that.

"Really? Well he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys." Katniss suddenly widens her eyes, like she doesn't believe me.

"He knew your mother when they were kids," I say.

"Oh, yes. She grew up in town," she says.

We're at her door. She gives me back her jacket. "See you in the morning then." She says.

"See you," I say, and walk down to my own compartment. I have a shower and slip into some bedclothes. Sleep comes easily.


	5. Brief working hiatus

Hey guys, this is just a short note on the fact that I'm on a bit of a Fanfiction hiatus. I'm currently working on the fifth chapter, but being holidays my mother insists on making me go outside and have a life, so I have limited access to my laptop. I will update in the next 4 days, maybe sooner.

Thanks for sticking to the story so far,

Everlarkloveme.


	6. Chapter 5

I wake up at about 7 in the morning and see that there are already clothes on my cupboard door for me to dress in for the first day of training. It is a long sleeved tunic and some black pants; a welcome change after the chariot costume. I go outside to see if Haymitch is up. He is.

"Morning, Haymitch," I say, taking a seat next to him on the plush lounge.

"Morning, Peeta," he replies, taking a sip of a liquid from a mug. I think it is coffee.

He finishes his drink and suggests that we go and see if Katniss is awake. I agree and we make our way to her compartment. We come in and I see she is dressed the same as I am. She notices and the beginning of a frown makes its way onto her face.

We go out to have some breakfast before training. We will have three days of training and then we will have a private session with the Gamemakers to show them what we've learned, so we can get a training score. This will be an indicator to sponsors whether they should sponsor us or not.

Haymitch eats with gusto, and I try to fill up, but not overload my stomach. Wouldn't want to throw up in the training centre. Katniss plays with a roll but doesn't end up eating it. Once Haymitch is finished eating, he pushes back his plate with a sigh.

"So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now," he says.

"Why would you coach us separately?" asks Katniss.

"Say if you had a skill you might not want the other to know about," says Haymitch.

I exchange a look with Katniss.

"I don't have any secret skills," I say. "And I already know what yours is, right? I mean, I've eaten enough of your squirrels."

"You can coach us together," Katniss tells Haymitch.

"All right, so give me an idea of what you can do," Haymitch says.

"I can't do anything," I say. "Unless you count baking bread."

"Sorry, I don't. Katniss, I already know you're handy with a knife," says Haymitch.

"Not really. But I can hunt," she says. "With a bow and arrow."

"And you're good?" asks Haymitch.

Katniss thinks on it for a while, and she replies, "I'm alright."

I am irritated by this. She's excellent, but she doesn't know. She's not giving herself enough credit, but I intend on letting Haymitch know how good she actually is.

"She's excellent," I blurt out before I can stop myself. "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how the arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells to the butcher. She can even bring down deer."

Katniss looks surprised. Hey, even I'm surprised at how much I know about Katniss.

Being in love with a girl can do that to someone.

"What are you doing?" she asks with an untrusting look on her face.

"What are you doing? If he's going to help you, he has to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself," I say. She still doesn't appreciate her capabilities.

She seems angry. "What about you? I've seen you in the market. You can lift hundred – pound sacks of flour," she snaps. "Tell him that. That's not nothing."

"Yes, and I'm sure the arena will be full of sacks of flour for me to chuck at people. It's not like being able to use a weapon. You know it isn't," I shoot back. Why is she doing this? Lifting sack of flour. Like that's a skill that will help me in the arena.

I have no chance in the arena. Not while she's there, anyway.

Come to think of it, how does she know all of this stuff about me? She can't have spent an enormous amount of time looking at me; she barely knows me.

"He can wrestle," she tells Haymitch. "He came in second in our school competition last year, only after his brother."

"What use is that? How many times have you seen someone wrestle someone to death?" I say. I don't understand her. She knows all of this about me, yet hadn't spoken to me until we got reaped. The things she's pointing out are useless and they are never going to help me in the arena!

"There's always hand-to-hand combat. All you need is to come up with a knife, and you'll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I'm dead!" her voice is rising. Why she's upset is unknown. That's Katniss for you.

"But you won't! You'll be living up in some tree eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said when she came to say goodbye, as if to cheer me up, she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realised, she didn't mean me, she meant you!" I yell. I don't know where this anger has come from. Probably the mention of my mother.

"Oh, she meant you," Katniss says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"She said, 'She's a survivor, that one.' _She _is," I say.

Katniss is at a loss for words.

"But only because someone helped me," she says. She sounds like a child.

I am brought back to a day many years ago. It was a normal day, I was about 11 at the time, and it was raining buckets outside. I heard my mother screeching at some Seam kid to get out of our trash. I looked out of the window to see who the unfortunate soul was. It was her- Katniss. By the looks of her, she hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. I knew I had to do something; I mean, I couldn't let the girl I was in love with starve.

I put the bread loves that were cooking in the oven a little too close to the flames. Mother saw the burnt loaves and hit me with her wooden rolling pin. I had handled worse.

"Peeta, you imbecile! You left the bread in too long! It's burnt now, ruined. This will cost you your dinner. No one decent is going to buy burnt bread! Go and feed it to the pigs!" she screamed. There were three loaves burnt in total. I tore up one and tossed it into the pig's trough. The other two I threw in the direction of Katniss, and before she could say anything I went back inside and continued work.

I look at the roll in her hands. I shrug.

"People will help you in the arena. They'll be tripping over each other to sponsor you," I say. It's true. The Capitol loves girls like Katniss. The fighters. The survivors.

"No more than you," she replies. I almost laugh. People sponsoring me over Katniss? Ridiculous.

I roll my eyes at Haymitch. "She has no idea. The effect she can have," I say. I'm blushing, but don't want Katniss to see, so I turn my head down and run my finger along the grain of the table.

After about a minute of silence, Haymitch is the one to break the ice. "Well, then. Well, well, well. Katniss, there's no guarantee that there'll be bows and arrows in the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, stay clear of archery. Are you any good at trapping?" he asks.

"I know a couple of basic snares," Katniss mutters.

"That may be significant in terms of food," says Haymitch. "And, Peeta, she's right, never underestimate strength in the arena. Very often, physical power tilts the advantage to a player. In the Training Centre, they will have weights, but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plan's the same for the both of you. You go to group training. Spend some time trying to learn something you didn't know. Throw a spear. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?"

Katniss and I nod.

"One last thing. In public, I want you at each other's side every minute," Haymitch says. We both start to object, me mainly for show, but Haymitch slams his hand down on the table to silence us. "Every minute! It's not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

There's about an hour before we need to go to meet Effie, so I go to my compartment to have a shower. I hear Katniss' door slam. After I have a shower, I redress in the training clothes and play with my token. I don't exactly know what kind of flower it is. Maybe it's not even a flower.

At a quarter to 10, I go and meet Effie at the elevator. She is pacing the floor and muttering something about punctuality. Katniss joins us ten minutes later. We make our way down to the training centre, and even though it isn't yet ten, all of the other tributes are already there. Everyone's gathered in a circle. Someone pins a cloth with the number "12" on my back. Katniss and I are the only tributes that are dressed alike.

We join the circle and the head trainer, Atala, steps up explains what training is about. There are experts at each station to help us learn the proper way to learn the skills to apply them in the arena. There was everything from archery to camouflage. We are allowed to wander to whatever stations we choose. We are not allowed to practice with other tributes. Atala reads down the list of stations. Katniss looks around, presumably sizing up the other tributes.

"Suppose we tie some knots," Katniss says.

"Right you are," I say. We cross over to the empty station. The trainer looks pretty excited having us as students. Apparently, knot-tying isn't the most popular of the stations. Katniss learns a few snares while I continue to try and perfect the knots I'm tying. I end up learning some simple snares too. After about an hour or so, we move on to camouflage.

I think of the view of the meadow from the bakery at home and mix the dyes to make a similar colour pattern. Camouflage isn't too different from icing the cakes at home. The trainer seems impressed.

"I do the cakes," I admit. She must be wondering how I could camouflage.

"The cakes?" she asks, looking at the boy from District 2 spear a dummy from 15 yards. "What cakes?"

"At home. The iced ones, for the bakery," I reply. I'd seen Katniss and her little sister look at them through the window a few times.

Her gaze falls to the pattern on my arm. "It's lovely. If only you could frost someone to death," she says.

"Don't be so superior. You can never tell what you'll find in the arena. Say it's actually a giant cake-" I start, trying to lighten the mood.

"Say we move on," says Katniss.

We get to go to one more station, fire – starting, before lunch. I'm okay at it, Katniss is pretty good. At lunch, the careers, consisting so far of only both from 1 and 2, sit together and generally the other tributes sit with their district partners. "So Katniss, are you thinking of making an alliance?" I ask, trying to end the silence that had settled between us.

"No, an alliance is pointless. Especially the small ones. Because if the two in your alliance make it to the final two, one is going to end up dead. I wouldn't want to go to all of that trouble keeping them alive and then have to kill them, or have them kill me," she says.

Oh, well. There goes that idea.

I look in the basket of rolls supplied for our table. I point out to Katniss the different types of bread for the different Districts. She seems pretty impressed.

We then talk about the tributes. "Which ones, not in the careers, do you think have a chance?" I ask.

"I don't know. Maybe… The boy from 11, the girl from 5," she says. "What about you?" she asks.

"Same, but with us in that list. I can't believe you forgot us!" I say with a chuckle.

When lunch is over, we head to edible plants. The Gamemakers have shown up. Katniss aces the test in the blink of an eye. I struggle a little bit, and take about three times for me to get it all right. We move to animal knowledge and Katniss aces that one too. Again, I take about three goes to get it right. There's about an hour left of training, so Katniss and I decide to go to knife throwing for a bit.

Katniss is pretty good, but the girl from 2, I think her name is Clove, hits the targets on all twenty dummies in about a minute. I have to stay for a bit and practice, but I seem to have a pretty good grasp on it by the time I'm finished. We are then dismissed for the night.

The careers stay to get some more practice while everyone else gets on the elevators. Katniss and I get into an elevator with the two from 11. They seem nice enough. The little girl, Rue, treats the older male, Thresh, like an elder brother.

We get to our level and have some dinner. Tonight, dinner is a roast pig with salad and soup. After dinner, Katniss and I mumble our goodbyes and head into our rooms. I can barely stay awake long enough to have a shower. I fall asleep immediately.


	7. Chapter 6

I wake up at about 8 today. I roll out of bed and dress. Then I go and get some breakfast. There is silence at the table today. We meet Effie at 9:30 and are the first tributes to get there. Atala says we can practice before the other tributes get here, so I go to knife throwing and hit a few targets before the two from 2 get there.

Clove gives me the get-out-of-my-way-or-I-will-hit-you-with-my-knife look, so I back away from knives and decide to go to edible plants because Katniss is there and I want to do what Haymitch says. I ace the test first try this time, as does Katniss. Atala gives her signature speech and Katniss and I move to knot tying. We each perfect the trap that leaves the tributes hanging by their leg and I perfect one to catch some food.

We decide that we've hit all of the survival stations, so we should go to weapons. We're at the spears station which, with my upper body strength, I'm pretty good at, when I notice the little one from 11, Rue, trailing us.

"I think we have a shadow," I whisper to Katniss.

She turns around while I pick up another spear to throw.

"I think her name's Rue," I whisper.

"What can we do?" asks Katniss.

"Nothing we can do," I reply. "Just making conversation."

We finish with spears and notice that there is a climbing station that we didn't see before. Katniss looks eager to try, so for her sake I go up and try to climb the tree. It's funny how relaxed Katniss looks in a tree. For a minute she just sits there and smiles. I climb a fair way, but I can tell that if I go much further, the branches are going to break. I climb back down and let Katniss have 5 minutes in the tree. I turn to call her down and she jumps down, landing on both feet.

We go to sword fighting and, yet again, my upper body strength gives me an advantage. Who knew that carrying sacks of flour would come in handy? I am pretty good at it. I see Katniss keeps looking over at the tree – climbing section. Once we're done with swords, there's about twenty minutes before lunch, so I let Katniss go into the tree again. The camouflage section is next door, so I paint myself into a tree in the meantime. I look up to see the careers gathered in a tense circle looking at me. I immediately look back down.

In school, we learnt what to do if wild dogs ever came into District 12, seeing as our fence is so shabby. You're supposed to lie face down on the ground and not move. The worst thing to do is make eye contact. I apply these rules to careers too, except for the lying down part, because my arms would stain the floor.

Atala dismisses us for lunch and Katniss and I go to the eating area. She sees my arm and identifies the bark as Pine. The two from 11 join us for lunch. The boy from 2, the ring – leader of the careers this year, invites Thresh to sit with them. He declines the offer.

"That was brave of you," I say to Thresh.

"Well, if I was to make an alliance, which is unlikely, the careers wouldn't be my first choice," he replies.

Rue chats to Katniss for a while but Thresh and I fall into a comfortable silence.

After lunch, we go to mace – swinging with the two from 11. I would ask for an alliance, but there would be something wrong about splitting an alliance with Rue. Thresh, on the other hand, could definitely take care of himself.

Thresh and Rue ask us if we would like to accompany them to archery, but we decline. Instead we head to hand – to hand combat. I am pretty good at it, beating the Capitol attendant that comes for me to practice with him.

We finish and head to fencing. Katniss is good at dodging, but not so good at attack. The redhead from 5 joins us. She's silent the whole time and reminds me of Katniss in the way that she is on the defence rather than the offence. I am the only one out of the three of us to beat my partner.

In order to protect Katniss I am going to befriend everyone. This has been decided.

Katniss heads off to slingshots while I "tie my shoe" and introduce myself to the tribute from 5. She introduces herself as Catherine and she kind of reminds me of a fox. We part ways.

I meet up with Katniss at slingshots, which I think is a terrible station for Katniss to be at, being so similar to archery. She misses the target every time. I'm fairly certain she does that purpose.

After we are dismissed, we get into the elevator. This time we are stuck with the two from 3. I introduce myself and Katniss. They introduce themselves as Carrie and Toby. They get off at level three.

"You missed all of the targets at slingshots on purpose, didn't you?" I ask.

"Yeah, why would I reveal anything to the Gamemakers and the careers? Didn't you notice that they were looking at us every time we moved stations?" she replies.

"Nope. What do you think of the two from 11?" I ask.

"They're nice enough. Speaking of the two from 11, what was _that_ about, introducing us to the two from 3?" she replies. Katniss does love to answer with a question, no doubt about it.

"I was trying to be nice. Just because you don't want to talk to anyone doesn't mean that I only have to talk to you," I reply. She frowns a little.

After that, there is silence in the elevator. Katniss stomps straight to her compartment, but I stay outside. I need to talk strategies with Haymitch.

To my surprise, he is sober and watching commentary on this year's tributes in the lounge room.

"Haymitch, I need to talk to you," I say.

"What is it, Peeta," Haymitch sighs.

"Well, I was wondering. Um, could I, well, could you, really, um, what I'm trying to say-" I start. Wow. This is a lot more awkward than I thought it would be.

"You're in love with the girl and you want to protect her in the arena," he finishes.

This guy is good.

"Um, yeah. What do you think is the best strategy that could help me to help her? I've been making friends in training, but I don't know if an alliance is the best way to go. Katniss doesn't want allies, but I somehow need to help her get home. I need her to get home," I say.

Haymitch thinks about it and replies, "Well, if you're going to have any shot at protecting her, you need to get in with the careers. If she's as good as you say she is she'll get at least an eight in training. That's pretty high for a non-career. The careers will target her, wanting to eliminate the toughest to make the rest easy pickings, so you need to put them on the wrong track. Lead them away."

"If Katniss sees me suddenly talking to the careers she'll suspect something. Also, what do you think will get us sponsors? What angle should we play?" I ask.

Again, Haymitch thinks. I almost think he's fallen asleep when he responds, "If you don't want Katniss to suspect anything, join with them in the arena. Get a high training score. When you get to the arena, go to the bloodbath. You'll need to if you want to be in the careers. Kill someone, harm someone. Do something to get their attention, but not until the arena. As for sponsors, there's an angle that I think you'll like. It'll play very nicely with the sponsors. Only trouble is getting Katniss to pull it off…" he says.

"What's the angle?" I ask.

"What do you think, boy? What is the one timeless angle?" he asks. He wants me to figure it out on my own.

"Star-crossed lovers," I say. Haymitch gives me the thumbs up.

"For that, you'll need to be trained separately. I'll need to teach you how to pronounce your love for her in front of an audience. You're the last interview, so it'll blow everyone else out of the water. Yes. It is decided," he says.

I wander off to my compartment and go have a bath. The feel of the water on my skin is nice. I think over the past few days in my head. Am I going to be able to pronounce my love for Katniss in front of an audience, when I can't even tell the subject of my… love… how I feel? Am I going to be able to prove myself to the careers before they kill me? Will I be dead in three days, or a week? Only one thing is certain in my head.

I am going into the arena in two days. I am not going to come back out.

**Author's note – **

**Okay, I know I went a bit off track from the book this chapter, but I think that this makes the story a bit richer, and when Katniss calls Foxface (Catherine) Foxface in the book, Peeta doesn't know who she's talking about. But yeah, I'm sticking to the book as much as possible, but not confining myself. Reviews? :D**


	8. Chapter 7

I wake up for the final day of training, dragging my feet a little, seeing as it is six a.m. and all. I get out of the shower by 6:30 and head off to breakfast. I pile up a tray and decide to have breakfast on the roof. It's nice and peaceful, and I spend an hour up there.

I tell Effie I'm going to the training centre and get on the elevator. Today will be a day of revision. Atala isn't even there yet and neither are the supervisors. I head to knife – throwing, hitting every target as I go. Next is sword – wielding. I tear up the dummy. I take a quick look around to see if anyone is there.

"Hello? Anyone there?" I say. My response is silence. I head over to the weight – lifting station and pick up a bag that reminds me of the sacks of flour. I do a bit of jogging with it on my back. I throw a 60 kilogram weight about 20 metres. I hear a whistle. I look over to see Glimmer, the girl from 1, staring at me. "Nice one. I can see why you avoided that station the whole time," she says.

So Katniss was right, they were following us. I don't reply. I put back the weight and head to bow and arrow shooting, "That's my strength, you know," she says. "Bow and arrow. I can teach you, if you'd like."

I let her come over and show me the proper way to hold the bow and I shoot a few arrows. I get a feel for it and end up hitting the bulls-eye a couple times. "Now, what can you teach me?" she asks.

"What would you like to know?" I ask.

"Let's see… Knives are Clove's thing, swords are Cato's and spears are Marvel's… Let's go to maces, shall we?" she says. I show her the basics of the mace and she hits the targets straight off.

"Anything else you can teach me?" she asks. I take her to camouflage, the only thing I'm really skilled at out of all of the stations. I show her how to create mixes of colours and dyes. I even go to the edible plants section to get some berries to smear over me. Everything mixes into a blur and when I come out of it, I've painted myself into a green field. She's also done pretty well, successfully blending in to the forest background. I also notice her 'friends' have arrived.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Has the little District Twelve gone and painted himself into a leaf?" I hear. I look at the floor. _What do you do when the wild dogs come? You forfeit._

I have a feeling that if I don't look them in the eye, they aren't going to accept me in the arena. First I look at Glimmer. She looks back. Next, her district partner, then Clove and finally Cato. The atmosphere relaxes instantaneously. I clear my throat. "I was showing Glimmer how to camouflage using ingredients from the edible plants station," I say. I fight the urge to say 'sir'.

Everyone turns their gaze to Glimmer.

"I came down here to get some practice before everyone else came in and I found him in here. He threw a 60 kilogram weight at least 15 metres, maybe 20," she says. I smile at her, a silent thank-you for standing up for me. She smiles back.

The group start to circle me, not unlike Haymitch did on the train.

"Not too shabby, District 12," I hear Cato say.

They go off and gather in a circle at the other end of the room. I glance at the clock. Half an hour until training starts. Katniss will probably be having breakfast.

I go to the sink and wash all of the dye and material off of my arms and clean up the stations I used. Atala comes in, surprised to see us here.

She arches her eyebrow, looking for an explanation.

"I woke up too early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came down here. You weren't here, so I turned on the lights and trained," I say.

She nods her head, accepting what I have said. I think about what Glimmer said the career's strengths were. Clove was knives… That was kind of obvious; she was always hanging around there. Cato liked swords…. I would've expected nothing less from a District 2. Marvel was spears… Obviously too small in build for swords, too large for knives and too trained for maces. Glimmer was a bow and arrow… You could probably throw mace in there now, thanks to my help.

I decided to play it safe and go to knot tying. I practice knots and snares until I hear someone calling my name. I turn to see Glimmer calling me over. I walk over and Cato says, "Allies, then?" I reply, "Yes, but only once we get in the arena. Wouldn't want my district partner to know she's being ditched, poor thing. No talent whatsoever," I say. They laugh and nod. I've satisfied them, for now at least, and managed to convince that Katniss was a weakling at the same time. All in all, a good run.

Katniss comes in at five to 10, along with Catherine, Carrie, Toby, the two from Four and both from Ten. I go and stand beside Katniss while Atala gives her speech and sends us on our way. Katniss and I go to all of the survival stations, thinking that the refreshed knowledge of survival will better our chance of survival in the arena. I tie knots and make snares and end up learning how to make a noose, good for trapping animals or extremely stupid tributes.

We then go to edible plants, me acing it and acing the medicinal one too. We move on to animals, and I notice the careers glancing at Katniss and guffawing. I'm sure how I portrayed her is very amusing to them.

The next stop is camouflage, and because we only have half a day today, due to private sessions, I only get time to paint my arm before we go to climbing. I make it about 5 metres up from where I last stopped before I head down. Katniss stays up there for another 10 minutes before I call Katniss down. We've hit all of the stations that we deemed necessary, so we head to maces.

I see Glimmer there and when Katniss isn't looking, I smile at her. She smiles back.

We are called for lunch and I sit with Katniss. Carrie and Toby join us. We talk about our homes, our lives and our family. We are then led down to the corridor outside the training centre. Katniss is placed last, I am second last.

We chat for a while, but when you have to be by someone's side for four days, there's not much to chat about. We fall into silence when the District 5 boy is called.

The rest of the time goes by pretty slowly. Katniss starts chewing on her nails.

I feel a sense of panic rising up when Rue is called. In about 20 minutes I am called. When I walk in, the Gamemakers are obviously drunk and singing a drinking song.

"Peeta Mellark, District 12," I say.

They stop drinking and turn to face me.

I walk over to the weights section and pull out an 80 kilogram weight; the weight of the sacks of flour at home. I throw it and it lands about 10 metres away. I pick up the 60 kilo one, it goes 20 metres. The 40 kilo one almost drops on my foot.

I then walk over to the mace section and decapitate a few dummies. I throw some knives, shoot some arrows and then I'm dismissed.

I walk to the elevators and go up to floor 12. Haymitch asks how it went, and I think it went okay, so I say, "Pretty good."

Katniss bursts in a couple of minutes and sprints to her room. Cinna raises his eyebrows and everyone turns to me.

I walk to Katniss' room and I hear a sobbing sound. I knock on the door, and hear Katniss say, "Go away, Peeta."

I walk back to the room. Everyone turns to me. "She won't listen," I say.

Cinna walks off to try and console her. If he can't get her out, no-one can. The rest of us settle down for dinner.

Katniss walks in as we begin to eat. She sits down and loads her plate. She doesn't look at anyone and sips her soup. The adults start to chat and Katniss looks at me. I raise my eyebrows, silently asking her what happened. She shakes her head.

"Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?" Haymitch asks.

"I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go," I say.

"And you, sweetheart?" says Haymitch.

"I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers," she says. She says it so nonchalantly, like she was saying what time it was.

"You what?" Effie says. I can see she's almost at breaking point.

"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them, just in their direction. It's like Peeta says, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just… I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's mouth! She says.

"And what did they say?" asked Cinna.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that," she says.

"Without being dismissed?" gasps Effie.

"I dismissed myself," she says.

"Well, that's that," says Haymitch. He butters a roll.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?" she asks.

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage," Haymitch replies.

"What about my family?" she says. "Will they punish them?"

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See, they'd have to reveal what happened in the private sessions for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort," says Haymitch. "More likely they'll make you pay in the arena."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us anyway," I say.

"Very true," says Haymitch.

He chuckles and asks, "What were their faces like?"

Katniss smiles and says, "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them. One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch."

Haymitch guffaws and we all start laughing. Well, everyone except Effie.

"Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District 12 is no reason to ignore you," says Effie. Everyone looks at her.

"I'm sorry, but that's what I think," she says, talking to no one in particular.

"I'll get a very bad score," says Katniss.

"Scores only matter if they're very good; no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy," Portia says.

"I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get," I say. "If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple of yards? One almost landed on my foot."

After dinner, we go down to watch the announcement of scores. Both Glimmer and Marvel receive 9s, Cato and Clove both get 10s. Catherine gets a 5, Thresh gets a 10, Rue, surprisingly gets a 7, I get an 8 and Katniss gets an 11.

I'm pleased for myself; I got a score high enough to be with the careers. I'm worried for Katniss, though. I tried to pass her off as weak, but I guess I can play it that she was hiding her talents.

"There must be a mistake. How… how could that happen?" Katniss asks.

"Guess they liked your temper," Haymitch replies. "They've got a show to put on. They need some players with heat."

"Katniss, the girl who was on fire," says Cinna, hugging Katniss. "Oh, wait until you see your interview dress."

"More flames?" she asks.

"Of a sort," he says.

Katniss and I congratulate each other. I am suddenly overcome with exhaustion, so I excuse myself and get into bed in my training clothes. I barely have time to close my eyes before I am asleep.


	9. Chapter 8

I wake up at 6 and hop in the shower. I go out to breakfast and Haymitch says that he'll just say that I chose to be coached by myself. I go and hide on the roof.

Haymitch comes up to tell me the coast is clear. We go to a special room and we talk about angles. He tells me to just be myself, because I am kind enough to pull it off. Now we talk about my great reveal.

"Caesar will ask you if you have a girlfriend. You will tell him no, but that you have a crush," he says.

We practice the interview, him pretending to be Caesar and me… being me, I guess.

After 4 hours with Haymitch, I am transferred to Effie's custody. She pulls over a chair similar to the ones I've seen on the interviews at home. She tells me to sit in the chair. I sit with my back straight and my legs together. She nods approvingly and mutters something about Katniss.

She has me walk up and down a corridor to see my posture. Effie tuts when she sees my shoulders slump, so I bring them up and walk like I would if I was carrying a bag of flour.

We spend the rest of the time practicing smiling and where to put my hands. When Effie releases me, my mouth starts to involuntarily twitch due to over-use.

After a brief lunch, I am whisked away to the remake centre to get me ready for the interviews. They put a lot of gloop that they call 'gel' in my hair to keep it slicked down. They dust some powder over my face and put some red, orange and yellow glitter in my hair.

The prep team take a step back and deem me ready to be dressed. They call in Portia and I let out a sigh. As much as I want to be kind to my prep team, they are very draining with their superficial and insignificant worries.

When Portia comes in, I give her a hug. She hands me my outfit, a black suit with a red tie encrusted with a flame pattern of jewels and black shoes. We have some extra time before I have to go, so Portia adds the finishing touches to my outfit and we talk.

"I've been talking to my friends about sponsorship, and they think that you and Katniss are likely to be victors," she says. "The odds are in your favour, Peeta."

"No they aren't, Portia. If they were, I wouldn't have ended up here. I wouldn't be going into the arena that I won't come out of. I wouldn't be in a battle to the death with the girl I love," I say.

Portia opens her mouth like she is going to reply, but is cut off by a voice telling me that I have to go and line up. Portia stays inside, at my request. I don't want to seem like a baby that needs to be escorted, especially the night before the arena.

Katniss is in a red dress that has jewels on it, much like my tie, but when she moves, her dress gives off the impression that she's engulfed in flames.

We are ushered on stage and led to 24 chairs placed in a semi-circle. My chair is the closest. Being last, which is good because I feel like my knees are going to give way.

Glimmer is called up first, and I remember that during the chariot rides I had predicted that she would be sexy, and I was right. She was dressed in an almost see-through, very short golden strapless dress that ends just above her knees.

Next to come up is Marvel, dressed in a black suit similar to mine, but with rainbow jewels decorating it. He goes arrogant, just as I had predicted.

Clove is wearing a grey, sparkly dress that is outlined with the pattern of bricks. She goes confident.

Cato is also dressed in a black suit, with a grey tie and shoes. He goes brutal.

Carrie wears a dress made out of gears with a headdress to match. I don't quite know what her angle was.

Toby is wearing a suit with light bulb patterns on it.

Before I know it, Catherine is up. She goes intelligent, like I predicted.

The rest of the interviews kind of blur together due to my anxiety about my interview. In what seems like seconds, Rue is going up for her interview.  
Thresh takes the hostile angle, and when the buzzer rings, Katniss is called up.

She talks to Caesar about her family and twirls in her dress for a bit.

I am called up in what seems like seconds.

"Welcome the final tribute tonight, Peeta Mellark!" says Caesar.

I walk over to him and we shake hands.

"So how are you, Peeta?" Caesar asks.

"Fine. Wishing I could've eaten a bit more but fine," I reply.

The audience laughs.

"Ah yes, an eventful afternoon. Speaking of eventful how is your life back home?" he asks.

I chuckle, and with a smile I say, "About as uneventful as it can get."

For a while we talk about me being a baker's son.

"So Peeta, what do you like most about the Capitol?" Caesar asks, grinning.

I think about it for a few seconds.

"I like that it's so different from home. For instance, it took me a while to figure out the showers. Those things are _dangerous_. Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" I ask.

Caesar and I smell each other, which for some reason drives the crowd mad.

"So Peeta, do you have a girl back home?" Caesar asks.

This is it - my big moment.

I give a small shake of my head, blushing and looking down.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" Caesar asks. The audience cheers.

"Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty she didn't know I was alive until the reaping," I reply.

"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar, leaning in to listen. I can feel the people in the audience move to the edges of their seats.

"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," I say.

"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" says Caesar.

I can almost hear Haymitch whispering in my ear. _Say it. Say it._

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning… won't help in my case," I say.

Here we go.

"Why ever not?" asks Caesar.

I can feel myself going red as I stammer, "Because… because… she came here with me."

**A/N:**

**Sorry to leave it on a cliff-hanger, but I had the biggest case of writer's block! I'll update tomorrow or the next day because tonight I'm celebrating my sister's birthday. Reviews will make me write faster, though! :D**


	10. Chapter 9

I look down for a while so the cameras can't see my blush. I look up at the monitor and I see Katniss face, mouth hanging open in shock. She looks down and the cameras turn back to me.

"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," says Caesar, giving his head a sad shake.

"It's not good," I agree.

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady," says Caesar. "She didn't know?"

"Not until now," I reply.

I look at the monitor and see that Katniss is blushing.

"Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Caesar asks the crowd. They go wild, cheering and yelling. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

I get up from my seat and hug Caesar. The applause is deafening. Haymitch was right; I did blow everyone out of the water.

When the crowd manages to settle down, I somehow manage to say, "Thank you," and head back to my seat. The anthem plays and the tributes file back in to the training centre. We get on the elevators and I'm in one with the careers.

"What was _that?"_ asks Clove, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

"My mentor told me it was the best way to get me sponsors. Little does he know that I'll be sharing whatever I get with you instead of her," I reply, trying to copy Clove's smirk. She accepts the answer and backs off.

"What about the 11 she got? You told us she was useless!" roars Cato.

"I thought she was! The only things that she told me she could do were tie knots, make snares and climb trees. She must have been hiding what she was really talented at. Don't worry, I never told her what I'm good at," I say.

"Okay, 12. We'll let it slide this time. Wait, what _are _you good at?" says Marvel.

"I'm strong, I'm pretty good with a mace and I'm good at camouflage. I'm pretty decent at hand-to-hand combat and I've used every weapon in training," I answer.

The elevator stops on floor one.

"See you tomorrow, 12," says Marvel.

"See you tomorrow, Peeta," says Glimmer.

There is an awkward silence in the elevator before it stops at floor two.

"See ya, 12," says Clove.

"Bye," Cato grunts.

The elevator ride goes quickly. I get out of my elevator and step into the room. Katniss enters seconds later.

I turn and Katniss slams her hands into my chest, the force sending me backwards and into an urn which breaks and makes my hand bleed.

"What was that for?" I ask.

"You had no right! No right to go saying those things about me!" she yells.

The elevator doors open and Cinna, Portia, Effie and Haymitch walk in.

"What's going on?" says Effie. She seems a little bit panicked. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me," I say. Effie and Cinna come and help me up.

Haymitch turns to Katniss. "Shoved him?"

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" she asks.

"It was my idea," I say, wincing as I pull shards of urn out of my hand. "Haymitch just helped me with it."

"Yes, Haymitch is very helpful. To you!" she says.

"You _are_ a fool," says Haymitch, a look of disgust on his face. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own."

"He made me look weak!" she yells.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it; you can use all of the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as a pile of dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District 12!" says Haymitch.

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!" replies Katniss.

Haymitch grabs her by her shoulders and pins her up against the wall. "Who cares? It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now, I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh, how the boys back home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get you more sponsors?"

Katniss is silent, but shoves Haymitch's hands off her shoulders and steps away from him.

Cinna comes over and puts his hand around Katniss. "He's right, Katniss."

"I should've been told, so I didn't look so stupid," says Katniss.

"No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have read as real," says Portia.

"She's just worried about her boyfriend," I say. I toss away a bit of urn covered in blood.

Her cheeks turn red and she says, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Whatever," I say. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides, _you_ didn't say you loved _me_. So what does it matter?"

She seems to settle down a bit after that.

"After he said he loved me, do you think I could be in love with him, too?" she asks quietly.

"I did," says Portia. "The way you avoided looking at the cameras, the blush."

The others agree.

"You're golden, sweetheart. You're going to have sponsors lined up around the block," says Haymitch.

_Gee, thanks Haymitch. Way to boost my confidence, too._

"I'm sorry I shoved you," she says.

"Doesn't matter," I reply. "Although it's technically illegal."

"Are your hands okay?" she asks.

"They'll be alright," I say.

We fall silent. I can smell dinner.

"Come on, let's eat," says Haymitch.

We start to move in to the dining room when my hands start bleeding heavily. Portia says she thinks it's best if we go get them patched up before I eat.

We go into a special room with a lot of medical equipment. Portia pulls out some anti-infection medication and gives it to me. She then rubs some cream on my hand and it stops bleeding. She puts another layer on and the scars go down. One more layer and my hands are healed.

She bandages them for good measure and we head back to the dining room.

After dinner, we watch the replay of the interviews. I see Katniss' interview in full, and Haymitch was right. She didn't really grab your attention.

For the duration of my interview I become fascinated with my couch pillow and don't look up until I hear the anthem.

Effie takes Katniss and I by the hand and, her eyes filled with real tears, wishes us well. She thanks us for being the best tributes it has ever been her privilege to sponsor. Then, being Effie, she says, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent District next year!"

Then she kisses us on the cheek and hurries out.

Haymitch crosses his arms and gives us both a look-over.

"Any final words of advice?" I ask.

"When the gong sounds, get out of there. You're neither of you up to the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water," he says. "Got it?"

"And after that?" Katniss asks.

"Stay alive," says Haymitch. This time, unlike on the train, no one laughs.

What else is there to say, really?

I go to my room and take a long shower, managing to get all of the gloop and glitter off of me. I hop into bed, but sleep doesn't come. It's understandable, though, under the circumstances.

At about 10 o'clock I realise that there isn't any point in trying to sleep anymore, so I go up to the roof. My head is clear there.

I think about the arena. Will it be a desert? A volcanic mountain? A wetland? There are endless possibilities.

I'm also thinking about the chance that I will have to kill Katniss. A small chance, but still a chance.

Katniss is a few metres away when I spot her.

"You should be getting some sleep," Katniss says.

I jump, but I don't turn to face her. I shake my head.

"I didn't want to miss the party. It's for us, after all," I say.

"Are there costumes?" asks Katniss.

"Who could tell?" I answer. "With all the crazy clothes they wear here. Couldn't sleep either?"

"Couldn't turn my mind off," she says.

"Thinking about your family?" I ask.

"No," she says. "All I can do is wonder about tomorrow. Which is pointless, of course." She pauses for a while. "I really am sorry about your hands."

"It doesn't matter, Katniss. I've never been a contender in these Games anyway," I say.

"That's no way to be thinking," she says.

"Why not? It's true. My best hope is not to disgrace myself and…" I say. I hesitate.

"And what?" Katniss says.

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only… I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not."

Katniss bites her lip. It's quite cute, something that a child would do.

"Do you mean you won't kill anyone?" she asks.

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to… to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games," I say.

"But you're not," Katniss says. "None of us are. That's how the Games work."

"Okay, but within the framework, there's still you, there's still me," I say. "Don't you see?"

"A little. Only… no offense, but who cares, Peeta?" she says.

I'm getting frustrated now. Can't she see? That I want to be different? That I want to die with my dignity intact, with my sense of self the same? Doesn't she see that she's the reason I'm going to die?

"I do. I mean, what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" I ask. I am shaking with anger at this point.

She steps back and says, "Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive."

I smile at her, in a sad and mocking way. "Okay. Thanks for the tip, sweetheart," I say.

She looks like she's just been slapped in the face.

"Look, if you want to spend the last few hours of your life planning your noble death in the arena, that's your choice. I want to spend mine in District 12," she says.

"Wouldn't surprise me if you do," I say. "Give my mother my best when you make it back, will you?"

"Count on it," she replies, her eyes blazing. She really is the Girl on Fire.

I stay on the roof for about ten more minutes before heading to my room. A conversation with her is pretty draining.

Somehow, after many hours, I finally manage to fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 10

I am awoken by a pair of small, dainty hands shaking me to get me into the world of the conscious. I wake up thinking this could be any day, Mother could be waking me up to get me to start getting the sacks of flour.

Then I remembered what day it was.

I started to feel sick, so I ran into the bathroom and vomited up dinner. I felt a little better afterwards, requesting a glass of water, but a glass of water wouldn't fix my problem.

Nothing could. Unless there was a time machine, Effie could have moved her hand slightly to the right and picked someone else to face their imminent deaths.

But no, she had to pick my name out of that cursed reaping ball.

I am given a simple pair of pants and a shirt to put on, and Portia leads me to a hovercraft. There is a ladder coming down, so I place my arms and legs on, expecting to have to climb it and soon find that I can't move them. Some sort of electrical current is holding me to the ladder.

The ladder is lifted up and a lady with a sharp-looking needle comes over to me and informs me that she will be injecting a tracker into my arm. She slides the needle under my skin and injects something. The needle hurts, but today I will be tough. I will be strong.

I will be a career.

The ladder's current releases me and I am able to move again. An Avox escorts Portia and I to a room filled with breakfast foods and despite still being nauseous, I eat as much as I can hold. "Do you want anything else? You'll need your strength," says Portia. I shake my head for fear that if I open my mouth I will vomit again. Portia hands me a glass of water and we sit on a lounge. A voice tells me to enter the glass tube that is placed at the end of the room.

Portia and I hug and say our goodbyes, her saying she hopes I come back. I say I'll try.

I enter the tube and the door slides shut. I play with my token for a bit while the countdown begins. _5_. 5 seconds and I will be in the arena. _4_. 4 seconds and I will have a chance to get Katniss to win these games. _3_. 3 seconds and I'll see everything. _2_. 'Everything' meaning the place that I will die._ 1_. 1 second to be free before being put to my death.

My plate starts to rise and I feel uneasy. What if the careers kill me before I save Katniss from them?

My plate has fully risen and I can see everything. I can see Toby on my right and the boy from eight on my left.

Then I hear his voice. The legendary Claudius Templesmith. His voice rings out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!"

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm awful. School started this week and my teachers have been loading me with homework. I'll try to write on the weekends so you can get a couple of updates, but yeah, work's going to be pretty slow.**

**everlarkloveme**


	12. Chapter 11

I look around to try and find Katniss. I see her a few spots over. She's assessing her odds for the Cornucopia, I can just tell. She catches my eye and I give her a subtle shake of my head. She sees it and all of a sudden the gong goes off. I'm dazed for a few seconds, but I quickly recover and dart deep into the heart of the bloodbath.

I run to get a mace which is placed conveniently close to me. I see Katniss running for a bag and bite back a scream. Clove sees her grappling for a backpack with the boy from 9. Clove throws a knife and it finds its way to the boy's back. She picks up another knife and throws it at Katniss, but thankfully Katniss is smart enough to put her backpack in front of her face to protect herself. The knife lodges in her backpack and she bolts for the woods.

I see the boy from 3 trying to sneak up on Glimmer and stab her with a dagger he must have picked up. "Glim, look behind you!" I yell. She turns and grabs the bow and arrows and shoots him in the chest. He dies in seconds. Cato and Marvel are handling things themselves; Cato looks to have killed the boy from 4 and both from 6. Marvel killed the boy from 5.

I hear a rustle behind me and turn to find myself face to face with the boy from 7. He's wielding a knife. He charges at me with the knife, and I dodge to avoid. I swing my mace and it makes contact with his head. Cato turns and yells, "Nice one, 12."

I look down at him, the wound from his head bleeding heavily. I bend down to pick up the knife and see he isn't breathing.

Oh my god. I just killed somebody.

I am responsible for a death.

Will his family be grieving? Will they call for me to be killed too?

I put that out of my mind, because now I need to prove that I can handle myself so the careers don't kill me. Marvel comes over and helps me with the girl from 7 and the boy from 8. Cato takes the girl from 9 and Clove takes the girl from 10.

Clove, Cato and Glimmer come over and we tally up our kills. Cato killed 4, I killed 1, Marvel killed 3, Glimmer killed 1 and Clove killed 2.

Clove seemed upset. "It would've been three, if it weren't for your district partner, Lover Boy," she said.

Real original, Clove.

"Lover Boy, I like it. We'll stick with that," says Cato. "Let's set up camp."

We pick at the stuff in the Cornucopia, making piles of stuff: weapons, medicine and food, other. We each have a pick of each and share the rest. We each get a backpack with a canteen of water. It goes in order of kills; Cato, Marvel, Clove, Glimmer, me. Cato picks a sword, some bandage, some dried beef and a sleeping bag.

Marvel picks a spear, some fever pills, some dried peaches and a tent. Clove picks a set of knives, some headache pills, a pack of fruit and nuts and a pair of glasses. Glimmer chooses her bow and arrow, some sleep pills, some crackers and some matches. I pick my mace, a needle and some string for sewing up wounds, some dried beef strips and a sleeping bag.

We assess the other items. 4 knives, 2 swords, a mace and three spears, 4 bandages, 2 suture kits, 3 flashlights, a pair of glasses, 3 tents and 5 sleeping bags. 4 packs of dried fruit, a bag of apples, a sack of potatoes, 3 packs of dried beef and 4 packs of crackers. 3 sets of fever pills some sleep syrup, 6 sleep pills and some miscellaneous medicines that we decide not to touch. We set up 3 tents, two sleeping bags in two, one and some supplies in one. I'm with Glimmer in a tent, because Cato claimed the singular tent and Clove said she was uncomfortable sharing a tent with Glimmer.

We start a fire, 'we' meaning 'I', because I was the only one who had bothered with the survival skills. I started a fire and we waited for the anthem.

We see that no-one else has died today and go to our tents. Just as I am going to sleep, I hear Clove murmur Cato's name. I wonder if there's something going on with those two before I go to sleep.

**A/N: Ugh school keeps piling on homework, so I can't write as much as I'd like, so I'll try to update once a week, but I'll try to write longer chapters.**

**Reviews?**


	13. Chapter 12

I wake up pretty early, seeing as my body clock is still set at "baker". I know it's early because the sun isn't up yet. Cato's outside.

I go outside and sit down next to him. "It's pretty early, Lover Boy. What are you doing up?" he asks.

"Mother woke me up at this time every day at home to get me to start work at the bakery. My father owns the bakery back home, and-" I begin.

"Look, I'm all for the family banter, but I don't want to listen to you talk about your family, or your life back home. It'll make it harder to kill you, which I will have to do in order to get Clove home," he interrupts.

"So you and Clove…?" I ask, quite surprised. I never would've thought that a guy like Cato could… love someone.

"Yeah," he says.

We sit in silence for a while, until Marvel comes out.

"How the hell can you two be up this early?" he asks, rubbing his eyes.

"Body clock," I say.

"I was on watch," says Cato.

"Wow, Pee… I mean Lover Boy, you get up this early every day?" he asks.

At that point, Cato leaves. Marvel comes and sits down next to me.

"So, Peeta, why _do_ you wake up so early?" he asks.

So I tell him about my life and my home. I tell him everything, except for the fact that I'm only in their alliance to save Katniss' life.

He tells me about his life. The pressure to win the games from his dad, the verbal abuse from his mother, his morphling-addicted brother. He tells me that Glimmer was the only thing keeping him from taking his own life.

The sun comes up, and the other tributes wake and we start a fire. Again, by we, I mean me, because I'm the only one who learnt to start fires. Clove goes and hunts down breakfast, two rabbits and a couple of squirrels. I'm sent out to get herbs and plants.

I see Toby, camouflaged to blend to the tree he's in. I walk over to a patch of berries near him. I break one of the berries open and assess that they're safe. "Hey, Toby," I whisper.

His eyes widen and he starts to inch away from his spot, crushing leaves as he goes.

"Toby, it's me, Peeta. I'm just here to collect berries and fruits. I'm not here to hurt you," I whisper.

I hear him stop moving.

"Peeta, why aren't you trying to kill me? Or calling your_ career buddies," _he says. He spits out the last part like an insult.

"I'm only in the career alliance to keep them from hurting Katniss. What I said in the interviews is true; I do love her. She just thinks it's an angle, but it's not. I've been in love with her since we first met," I say.

He comes out from the trees. "Really? I thought it was just an angle," he says, scratching his chin.

"Yeah. Hey, look, there's a limited amount of time before they'll think I've run off, so do you need anything?" I ask. I was lucky, because I'd brought my backpack just in case I ran into any wildlife.

"Some food would be nice, if you have any to spare," he says.

I give him the dried beef that I picked and pick up some herbs.

"Lover boy! Where are you?" I hear. Sounds like Cato.

"I have to go, but I wish you all the best, Toby," I say.

I run back to the edge of the forest and slow to a walk.

"What took you so long? The rabbit's almost cooked!" yells Clove.

"I saw a tribute, so I gave chase and he got away. I'll get him for that," I finish the sentence with an angry shake of my head.

They seem appeased, so we sit down and while Cato skins the rabbits, I mash the berries and herbs.

We sit down around the ire to eat. Clove says that today we'll start hunting other tributes. Glimmer points out that first, maybe we should hunt lunch.

Then Clove counters that she's not dumb, and that at least _she_ can use a weapon properly. Glimmer says that she can, she just doesn't think that being a creepy girl obsessed with knives or whatever is a very good angle for sponsors.

Then it gets pretty full-on. Clove fully leaps on Glimmer and starts ripping out her hair. Marvel and Cato are too busy laughing to do anything, so I go and pull Clove off of Glimmer.

All I have to say is, that while a week ago I thought lifting sacks of flour was heavy; lifting a 90 kilogram girl (made of all muscle) while she is straining is… wow.

They send Clove off to her tent, and I am told to go and keep watch of Glimmer until she cools down.

We get into the tent and she sits and glares at the wall. Then she gets a knife from the waistband of her pants and throws it at the zip. It lands.

She suddenly bursts out crying and leans her head on my shoulder. I start to pat her on the back when she leans up and kisses me, full on the lips. I pull back.

She sobs even harder, and I go out to find Marvel.

I need not say that it has been a very strange morning.

**A/N: Yes, I am **_**the**_** biggest Clato shipper out there, so I couldn't NOT go there. And I had to stop writing because there was so much tension between Glimmer and Peeta, and that was just an opportunity I couldn't miss. I'll try to update a bit faster, and note that in my haste to upload I haven't had my beta reader check this, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.**

**-Everlarkloveme**


	14. Chapter 13

I walk out to find Marvel. He's standing by Cato, laughing at Clove who was picking up clumps of her hair.

"Hey, Marvel, I, um, I think you should go and see Glimmer," I say.

"Why?" asks Marvel.

"Um, you'll see when you get there," I reply.

Everyone goes silent, and at that precise moment, Glimmer lets out a sob.

"Oh, I see," he says. He enters the tent and the crying stops.

"Well, at least _that's_ over," says Cato.

Cato decides that we should go and hunt some lunch.

I am allowed to stay at the base this time, deciding that leaving Clove alone is a bad idea.

"So, what do you think of the events so far, Lover Boy?" Clove asks after a while.

"I think that things have been going too… slowly. I think that the Capitol will be getting restless, there haven't been any deaths since yesterday," I say.

"Well, I think we will have to provide them with some. Cato will want another kill, anyway," she says, a malicious smirk creeping on to her face.

"Clove, when did you start training?" I ask.

"Age nine. My parents are trainers, so I got to be trained early. You?" she replies.

"Age 11, my dad made me go out and lift the heavy flour bags to bring them to the bakery. Why'd you choose knives?" I ask.

"Too small for anything else. Why'd you pick maces?" she asks.

"I hadn't handled weapons before training, and I didn't want to pick swords or spears, because Cato or Marvel would get angry. Maces were what I was best at," I say.

"Well, you're pretty good for a first go. Want me to teach you some knife skills?" she asks.

I nod my head.

We walk over to a nearby tree, and she shows me the basics. She takes some fruit from the pyramid of supplies and puts it on a branch.

"Hit the apple, and I'll take over your hunting duties," she says, her dark brown eyes shining in anticipation.

"And if I miss?" I ask.

"You'll take over mine," she says.

I square my shoulders and get in position, one foot forward, one foot back. The handle of the knife is close to my face, and the blade is close to my lips. It feels cold. I breathe out, breathe in and throw. I close my eyes, afraid to see if it made it, or missed. I open them and see the apple on the floor, my knife right through the middle.

"Wow, nice one, Lover Boy. Looks like I'll be taking over hunting duties," sighs Clove.

Glimmer emerges from her tent.

"I'm sorry, Clove, for calling you all of those bad names. Will you forgive me?" she asks.

"Alright, Glimmer," replies Clove.

Cato comes back with some rabbits and three fish.

We get the fire started and I take Clove out to the woods to show her how to identify safe fruits and berries. She picks some and we head back.

Once the meat is cooked, we sit around the fire. After a bit of chat, Cato stands up.

"Look, we're the careers pack of the 74th hunger games. I think it's about time we said who we wanted to kill," he says.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a movement near the Cornucopia. I pick up my mace and walk to the Cornucopia very slowly, making no noise.

I see her; it's the girl from 4.

She turns, seeing me approaching her, and tries to run. I hit her leg with my mace and she falls.

"Hey, Cato, look what I found," I say, shouting to Cato. He picks up his sword and walks over.

"Good catch, Lover Boy. Now, what do we have here?" Cato says with a sneer on his face.

"Girl from 4, trying to steal supplies," I replied.

"I-I-I c-c-c-can f-f-fight," stutters the girl.

"We'll see about that," says Cato. "Clove! Come over here, we've got some fresh meat for you to… _fight_."

Clove gets up and comes over. "Weapon of choice?" she asks the girl, a malicious smile on her face.

"Knives," the girl replies.

The tension is so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"Well then," Clove says, picking out a knife.

The girl does the same and as soon as the knife is in her hand Clove jumps her and pins her down. Somehow, the girl manages to get up and soon has Clove in a headlock.

"Wow, you can stop now. You can join us, if you'd like," says Cato, outstretching his hand.

"I would very much like that," she says.

"I'm sorry about your leg," I say.

She shakes her head, her long dark hair shining as it moved.

"Doesn't matter. It's not like I was a contender in these games, anyway," she says.

"You and I must think alike, I said something not so different to that on the last night in the training centre," I say.

"Apparently so. What's your name?" she asks.

"Adriana. You?" she replies.

"Peeta Mellark."

We head back to the fire, Cato cooking another fish for Adriana.

We keep talking, kind of separating from the crowd. Clove moves into Cato's tent, Glimmer into Marvel's and Adriana into mine.

We sit in our tents and talk until we hear the anthem play. We all stand outside, knowing what we are going to see.

Nothing.

Our predictions are correct, so we gear up and decide to go hunting for tributes. I stay at the back with Adriana. We talk a bit along the way, but we're mostly silent. Cato tells everybody that he sees a fire, so we should be quiet, as not to alert the tribute.

We get closer to the fire and see a girl, from district 8, I think, warming over a fire. We approach her. She doesn't know we're there until Cato puts her in a headlock and tells her, "Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you."

She whimpers, and says, "P-p-please, d-d-don't k-kill m-m-me, my f-f-family back home is c-c-counting on me."

"Sorry, wrong answer," says Cato.

She lets out a high pitched squeal and Cato stabs her through the heart.

We start to head back, Cato and Clove saying things like "Did you see her face?" or "Pathetic. 'P-p-please don't kill me.'

We notice that the canon hadn't gone off. I volunteer to go back and finish the job.

I put my head to her chest and see that she's still breathing. I bend down and whisper in her ear, "Your family wouldn't want to see you suffer. I'll make it quick."

I take out a knife and stab her again. Her body goes limp and a canon sounds.

We head back to camp and all I can think about is her face. She didn't deserve to die.

None of us do.

**A/N: Yeah, I know it took me forever to update. I'm sorry, I'll try to update faster. Reviews? :D**


	15. Chapter 14

I wake up to see Adriana crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" I say.

Adriana turns to me, eyes red and puffy from crying. "I think I'm going to die today. I don't want to die. I want to go home, back to my family," Adriana says.

I rub her back reassuringly, "You're not going to die," I say. "Not while I'm here to protect you."

"You promise?" she sniffs.

"Of course," I say. She smiles, her dark brown eyes shimmering.

"Hey, I'll check on the others. You should probably stay here for now," I say. She nods.

I go outside and find Marvel and Glimmer holding hands and feeding each other. I try to back away quietly, but being my typical self, I trip over a twig and it cracks. Their heads turn to me, both of them blushing slightly.

"Good morning, where are Cato and Clove?" I ask, pretending as if I hadn't seen them cuddling.

"Oh, still asleep. Speaking of which, we should probably go and hunt for breakfast. Keep watch, Peeta," says Marvel.

I keep still and sit near the fire pit, lost in thought. I hear a rustle beside me and see that Adriana has emerged from our tent.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm feeling heaps better now. What were you thinking about?" she responds.

"Life," I say.

"You were thinking about Katniss, weren't you?" she asks.

"How could you tell?" I ask.

"I learnt how to read body language back in 4 so I could use it to tell when someone's about to attack. In your interview, I could tell that you weren't lying or anything. I knew that you meant what you said," she said.

We sit in silence for a while, listening to the sounds around us.

We hear a rustle, and Clove emerges from her tent. "Where are Glimmer and Marvel?" she asks.

"Out hunting," says Adriana.

"Cool, I'm starving."

A few minutes later, Marvel and Glimmer return, 2 rabbits 3 fish and some herbs in hand.

We decide to cook the meat without Cato and wake him when it's ready. Clove informs us that if Cato is woken up he will most likely punch us.

The meat takes about half an hour to cook, all in all. We all elect Clove to go and wake Cato. He emerges 10 minutes later, rubbing his eyes.

"Breakfast's almost ready," I say. He sits beside Marvel and plays with a sword.

We all eat, and Cato announces we're going to go and hunt. We all get our bags and head off. We head towards the grain patch where I suspect that Thresh is hiding, seeing as I haven't seen him since the Games begun. We skirt along the side, none of us brave enough to enter the plantation. We pass the lake and grab a drink, deciding to grab lunch on the go.

We see smoke, but Clove points out that it's way too much to come from a tribute fire. We know the Gamemakers would have set it up to alert the other tributes of someone's position, so Cato decides we should take a walk around the forest to see if there are any ponds, because if one was in a fire, they would look for a source of water. We find a pond a little way ahead, and to my dismay, Katniss is there.

I fall to the back of the pack, not wanting to see Katniss.

I risk a look and see that she's injured; she's burnt her hands and her calf looks bad.

Her hunter ears pick up the sound of our feet and she starts to run. She's oddly slow; she's the fastest sprinter in our school. I guess her leg wound must be slowing her down. Somehow we all managed to inhale smoke on the way, so we're all coughing.

She starts to climb a tree, and I know we have no chance. We're all too heavy to get up there, with the exception of Clove, but Clove's afraid of heights, so that isn't going to work.

She smiles, realising this as I'm thinking it too. "How's everything with you?" she asks. We stop at the base of the tree.

The other careers are a bit taken aback at this. "Well enough," says Cato. "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste," she says. The crowd will love this. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

"Think I will," says Cato.

"Here, take this, Cato," says Glimmer. I look up to see Katniss giving the evil eye to Glimmer. She wants that bow, I can tell.

"No," says Cato, pushing away the bow. "I'll do better with my sword."

She gives Cato enough time to get himself up on the tree before moving herself. She's about 30 feet up when Cato falls.

Glimmer tries to climb as far as she can without falling and shoot. She misses Katniss, hitting the tree. Katniss grabs the arrow and waves it above our heads.

We form a circle and think of ideas. No one comes up with anything logical, so I say, "Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning."

We sit down and start a fire, cooking some squirrel that Clove catches. After we eat, we decide whose taking watch, and I go to sleep.

**A/N: I'm sorry, exams are coming up soon and I have to start studying. Review? Also, there is a poll on my profile asking what you want me to do after I'm finished this, so you should go and vote! **


	16. Chapter 15

I wake up to complete and utter chaos. I feel little bugs all around me and everyone's screaming. I start to run towards a lake and I hear screaming. I look back and identify the fallen as Glimmer. I feel a searing pain in my calf and know I've been stung. I speed up to try and distance myself.

I feel a sharp pain in my arm and sprint to the lake. I jump in, dive under and hold my breath. I resurface, gasping for air. The bugs were gone.

_But what happened to Katniss?_

Since the bugs are gone, and my stings feel better after a dip in the pool, I decide to check on her. I run back, and I see something out of the corner of my eye. I falter, not believing my eyes.

It's Adriana. And she's not moving.

I run over to her. "No, no, no! No! I promised.I PROMISED HER THAT I WOULD PROTECT HER. No, no, no. This wasn't meant to happen!" I yell. Tears spring to my eyes.

_I promised her. I promised her that I would protect her, and I failed her. What does she think of me now? Did she hate me, as she was writhing on the ground, dying?_

No. I shake my head to rid myself of these thoughts. I hear some rustling up ahead, and I follow the noise. To my surprise, it's Katniss, stumbling. I hear Cato, crashing through the forest.

"GO! KATNISS, GO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? RUN, RUN!" I yell.

She takes the hint, and runs as Cato crashes into the clearing.

"What'd you do?! You let her go! YOU LET MY NUMBER ONE TARGET GO! So, as compensation, I'll be using you instead," he says, a malicious smile creeping onto his face.

He draws his sword, and I try to move, but the effects of the insect stings are making me slower. Cato slashes and I feel pain like no other in my thigh. It feels like someone has doused my leg in gasoline and lit it on fire.

He runs away, yelling, "One down, one to go!"

I try to get up and fall back down. In a dazed state, I get on all fours and crawl. I black out for a while and wake up in a small pool of my blood, then feverishly try to wipe it away. I was never good with blood.

I find a deserted shelf of rock and make a nice place for me to lie. I decide that on the off chance that someone does find me, I should probably do something to protect myself.

Seeing as I have no weapons, I decide on camouflage. I'll be hard to find, even in death.

I finish camouflaging myself about 2 hours later, early evening.

I'm so thirsty and hungry, right now I'd even settle for one of Greasy Say's soups.

The anthem plays, and I mentally prepare myself for Adriana's face. There were no other deaths today.

Now that the anthem is over, there's nothing to distract me from the ache in my stomach and the pain in my throat.

"Haymitch, please," I say.

It's not surprising that nothing comes.

Somehow, I manage to drift into an uneasy sleep.

**Reviews please? If I get at least two reviews, I'll do another chapter today. Also, vote on the poll for my next fanfic!**


	17. Chapter 16

The next few days are a confusing mess. I don't know whether I'm dreaming, having hallucinations or just crazy. All I remember is the dead. Adriana's face is a common appearance in my nightmares.

I hear some rustling and a faraway voice calling my name. I look up and see Katniss, frantically looking out for something. She steps in the stream that my hiding spot is next to.

"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I say. My voice is hoarse from disuse and it burns my throat to speak.

She turns around. For some reason, her hearing seems to be off. I can tell, because she hasn't immediately picked up my location. She looks in my direction, but she can't tell where I am. I have to say, my disguise _is_ pretty good.

"Peeta?" she whispers. "Where are you?"

I try to speak and my throat acts up.

"Peeta?" she says. She cautiously approaches my hiding spot. She's getting dangerously close.

She's about to step on my face when my voice works.

"Well, don't step on me."

I smile, and she sees me. She gasps and I laugh. She seems pretty impressed by my camouflage.

"Close your eyes and shut your mouth," she orders. I do.

She kneels beside me. "I guess all of those hours decorating cakes paid off."

I smile. "Yes, frosting. The final defence of dying."

"You're not going to die," she says.

"Says who?" I reply.

"Says me. We're on the same team now, you know," she says.

I wonder what she's talking about for a bit, and then I remember. I thought it was a dream.

"_Attention remaining six tributes. I have an announcement. There has been a slight… rule change. The previous revision about there being only one victor has been… suspended. If the two remaining tributes originate from the same district they will both be crowned victor. Congratulations, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favour."_

I open my eyes. "So I heard. Nice of you to find what's left of me."

She pulls out her water bottle and makes me drink.

"Did Cato cut you?" she asks.

"Left leg. Up high," I answer.

"Let's get in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you've got," she says.

I have an idea.

"Lean down a minute first," I say. "Need to tell you something."

She leans over and puts her right ear over my lips.

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

She laughs. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind."

It cheers her up for a little while, at least, until we try to get me to the stream. Katniss tries to drag me, but it's all I can do not to cry out.

She says she'll try to roll me into the stream. It seems unlikely to me, but I won't tell her that.

"Excellent."

"On three," she says. "One, two three!"

She manages to roll me once before she stops due to the noises I'm making. I'm on the edge of the stream.

"Okay, change of plans. I'm not going to put you all the way in," she tells me.

"No more rolling?"

"That's all done. Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me, okay?" she says.

She props two water bottles in the water and fills one up, so there's always two filling while one's being used. It takes an extremely long time, but eventually my clothes are visible under all of the mud. She unzips my jacket and unbuttons my shirt, sliding them off. She cuts off my undershirt so she can examine my wounds.

She manages to prop me up on a boulder so she can treat the damage to my upper body. I don't even remember getting stung on my chest, or how I got that burn. She washes away the dirt from my face and my hair. She digs the stingers out of my flesh and applies some leaves to the wounds. I sigh with relief. The effect is instantaneous; my stings feel a lot better.

She goes to wash my clothes and I bathe in the sunlight. When she comes back, she applies a salve to my burn and that feels a lot better, too. My top half feels weak, but a lot better than before Katniss arrived. When she touches my skin she frowns and reaches into her pack, taking out the fever pills I recognise as Marvel's. So Marvel's dead, and I'd assume that Cato and Clove are all right.

She gives me the pills and I take them.

"You must be hungry," she says.

"Not really. It's funny, I haven't been hungry for days," I say. It's true.

For the first day, the hunger was almost more than I could bear. It felt like my stomach was turning in on itself, the pain was so intense. The pain got lesser, though, and eventually stopped.

"Peeta, we need to get some food in you," she insists.

"It'll just come right back up," I say. It's true; I haven't eaten since the night before the bug attack, which I'd say was about 3 or 4 days ago. Whatever I eat would come back up; my stomach wouldn't be used to the food.

I eat a few pieces of dried apple to please Katniss. I feel a little nauseous, but I'll be okay.

"Thanks. I feel much better, really. Can I sleep now, Katniss?" I ask,

"Soon," she says. "I need to look at your leg first."

I've been dreading this. I know it's bad; I wouldn't be in that much pain if it wasn't.

She removes my shoes and my boots, trying to be gentle. She slowly starts to inch my pants off. I can tell by the look on Katniss' face that the wound is really bad. I can't bring myself to look, so I close my eyes.

I force myself to look down at her. "Pretty bad, huh?" I say.

"So-so," she shrugs. "You should see some of the people they bring my mother from the mines."

She looks at the wound. "First thing is to clean it well," she says.

She scoots a bit of plastic under me so she can finish cleaning my legs. She pours bottle after bottle on my legs, and with each bottle her frown deepens.

I know she's trying to act tough and pretend that my leg isn't as bad as it is. She treats some minor wounds that she sees and sits there for a while, lost in thought.

"Why don't we give it some air and then…" she begins.

"And then you'll patch it up?" I finish.

"That's right," she says. "In the meantime, eat these."

She hands me some dried fruit and goes back to the stream to wash the rest of my clothes. She's left my underpants on, though.

She goes to the first aid kit of Marvel's and looks through the contents.

"We're going to have to experiment some," she says. She starts with the leaves she used to treat my stings. Pus begins running down my leg. Katniss pales a little at this, and I stifle a laugh. The most deadly person I know is afraid of a little pus, go figure!

"Katniss?" I say. She meets my eyes.

I mouth the words, "How about that kiss?" and she bursts out laughing.

"Something wrong?" I ask,

"I…I'm no good at this. I'm not my mother. I've no idea what I'm doing and I hate pus," she says.

A little more pus comes out at this and she groans.

"Euh!"

"Euuuuuuh!"

I chuckle. "How do you hunt?" I ask.

"Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this," she says. "Although, for all I know, I am killing you."

"Can you speed it up a little?" I ask.

"No. Shut up and eat your pears," she says.

"What's next, Dr. Everdeen?" I ask.

"Maybe I'll put some of the burn ointment on it. I think it helps with infection anyway. And wrap it up?" she says.

She eyes my undershorts. She pulls out a backpack.

"Here, cover yourself with this and I'll wash your shorts," she says.

"Oh, I don't care if you see me," I say.

"You're just like the rest of my family," she says. "I care, all right?"

She turns her back and I take off my shorts, covering myself with the backpack and throwing my shorts into the stream.

"You know, you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person," I say. "I wish I'd let you give Haymitch a shower after all."

She wrinkles her nose. "What's he sent you so far?" she asks.

My heart drops a little at this. I'd been hoping that Haymitch's drunkenness was the reason for lack of gifts, not that I had no sponsors.

"Not a thing," I say. I pause. The way Katniss said that indicates that she'd got something. "Why, did you get something?"

"Burn medicine," she says sheepishly. "Oh, and some bread."

"I always knew you were his favourite," I say.

"Please, he can't stand being in the same room with me," she says.

"Because you're just alike," I mutter. I'm feeling really tired, and Katniss won't mind if I doze off for a while…

I wake to Katniss shaking me, it looks to be mid-afternoon.

"Peeta, we've got to go now."

"Go?" I ask. What's happening? Why do we need to move? "Go where?"

"Away from here. Downstream maybe. Somewhere we can hide until you're stronger," she says. She helps me get dressed leaving out my shoes and socks so we can walk in the water.

She pulls me upright and the world goes topsy-turvy. It's using a lot of my little strength to even stand, so I know it's going to be troublesome finding me somewhere close to hide.

"Come on. You can do this."

As hard as I try, my leg isn't up to walking just yet. It's a miracle I haven't blacked out or fallen over yet.

We make it about 50 yards and I'm feeling really bad, like I'm going to faint. Or throw up. Or both. Katniss sits me down on the bank and pushes my head between my knees and tells me to breathe. She pats my back while she surveys the area.

She points out a cave about 20 yards away. I think I can make it, the nausea's gone and there are no black spots in my vision. When I can stand properly, Katniss helps me limp over there. I'm shivering, but I feel really hot. I don't think those fever pills that Katniss gave me are working.

She covers the cave floor with pine needles, unrolls her sleeping bag and tucks me in. She thinks I don't notice, but she's feeding me pills and water like crazy. The walk tired me out, so I refuse the fruit she offers me. She makes a cover out of vines for our cave, but rips them off in frustration. _Always has to be perfect with Katniss,_ I think.

"Katniss," I say. She comes over and pushes the hair out of my face. "Thanks for finding me."

"You would have found me if you could," she says. She feels my head again.

"Yes. Look, if I don't make it back-" I begin.

"Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing," she says.

"I know. But just in case I don't-" I begin again.

"No, Peeta, I don't even want to discuss it," she says, putting a finger over my lips to keep me quiet.

"But I-" I try to continue.

Out of nowhere, Katniss leans in and kisses me. I'm so surprised that I don't have time to react. My first kiss, with the love of my life, only she thinks we're pretending and was probably only doing it to shut me up.

Oh well, a kiss is a kiss. If I die, I can die happy.

"You're not going to die. I forbid it, alright?"

This puts me in mind of what I said to Adriana on the day of her death.

"All right," I whisper.

We hear a beeping, and Katniss tells me that it must be a sponsor gift. That was also probably part of why she kissed me, but still, I got a kiss from _the _Katniss Everdeen. I'm pretty happy for a guy who's going to die.

She steps out to collect the gift. I know she hopes it's medicine, but that kiss was too weak to earn something as expensive as that.

I must have momentarily dozed off, because I wake to find Katniss kissing me. She gets it now, that we're in love. That she has to be a star-crossed lover.

I smile at her, a smile that says everything I could never say to her. _I love you, Katniss; it isn't just for the games. I wish you would love me, too…_

She holds up a pot. "Peeta, look what Haymitch has sent you."

It takes about an hour, but Katniss finally convinces me to have some broth. She lets me doze off, and I fall asleep with my lips tingling from kissing her. I will have good dreams tonight.

**A/N: I hope the length of this chapter makes up for the fact that it's late. Reviews? :D**


	18. Chapter 17

I wake a couple of times in the night to find Katniss has come into the sleeping bag with me. She feels cold, and I realise she's been on watch almost the entire night, Before I can do anything, though, drowsiness grabs hold and I fall back asleep.

I fully wake up and it's morning. Katniss isn't here. I try to sit up; Katniss must've gone hunting, so I need a weapon in case someone bursts in.

My fears are confirmed when I hear a rustling noise outside the cave, but to my surprise, it's just Katniss.

"I woke up and you were gone," I say. "I was worried about you."

She laughs and puts me back into a lying position.

"You were worried about me? Have you taken a look at yourself recently?" she says.

"I thought Cato and Clove might have found you. They like to hunt at night," I say.

"Clove? Which one is that?" she asks.

"The girl from District 2. She's still alive, right?" I say.

"Yes, there's just them and us and Thresh and Foxface," she says. "That's what I nicknamed the girl from 5. How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday. This is an enormous improvement over mud," I say. "Clean clothes and medicine and a sleeping bag… and you."

She reaches out to touch my cheek and I catch her hand and kiss it, something my mother and father used to do before my mother moved to the merchant part of District 12.

"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," she says.

She manages to prop me up against the wall and feeds me some berry mush. She offers me some of the animal she calls 'groosling' but I refuse. My stomach's still not strong enough for that.

"You didn't sleep," I say. The bags under her eyes betray her when she says, "I'm all right."

"Sleep now. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if anything happens," I say. I'm winning her over; sleep is calling her to it. "Katniss, you can't stay up forever."

"All right," she says. "But just for a few hours. Then you wake me."

I agree and she moves onto spreading her sleeping bag out on the floor. It's too hot to be in, I know from experience. I stroke her hair while she falls asleep.

The hours that pass by are dull. I drink a little bit, but I don't want to waste Katniss' water. I know I'm going to die, my leg is worse and my fever came back. I wish I could at least get the chance to tell Katniss that I love her for real and not just for the games. Even the star-crossed lover angle won't grab us enough sponsors to get the type of medicine I need.

It's early afternoon when Katniss wakes up. She's angry, I can tell.

"Peeta, you were supposed to wake me up after a couple of hours," she says.

"For what? Nothing's going on here," I say. "Besides, I like watching you sleep. You don't scowl. Improves your look a lot."

She scowls at that, which makes me laugh. She checks my skin and feeds me more fever pills. I tell her that I've had water, but she still stands over me while I drink two quarts of water.

She tends to my smaller wounds, the ones she knows how to take care of. They're feeling and looking a whole lot better. She tentatively unwraps my wound and her face falls. It's bad, really bad. I can see the red lines working up my leg; blood poisoning.

"Well, there's more swelling, but the pus is gone," she says, her voice unsteady.

"Katniss," I say, "I know what blood poisoning is, even if my mother's not a healer."

"You're just going to have to outlast the others, Peeta. They'll cure it back in the Capitol when we win," she says.

"Yes, that's a good plan," I say.

"You have to eat. Keep your strength up. I'm going to make you soup," she says.

"Don't light a fire," I say. "It's not worth it.:"

"We'll see," she says.

She goes outside and I sit there for a while. It's not like I can move, anyway.

She comes back in about half an hour later. She puts a cool cloth on my head.

"Do you want anything?" she asks.

"No," I say. "Thank you. Wait, yes. Tell me a story."

"A story? What about?" she says.

"Something happy. Tell me about the happiest day you can remember," I say.

"Did I ever tell you how I got Prim's goat?" she asks.

I shake my head. She tells a tale of selling her mother's silver locket and buying a goat and putting a pink ribbon on it for Prim's birthday. I know that wasn't how she really got it, but it was a nice story. She tells me that the goat was injured, and how her mother and sister nursed it back to health.

"They sound like you," I say.

"Oh, no, Peeta. They work magic. That thing couldn't have died if it tried," she says.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying," I joke. "Finish the story."

"Well that's it. Only I remember that night, Prim insisted on sleeping with Lady on a blanket net to the fire. Just before they drifted off, the goat licked her cheek, like it was giving her a goodnight kiss or something," she says. "It was already mad about her."

"Was it still wearing the pink ribbon?" I ask.

"I think so," she says. "Why?"

"Just trying to get a picture," I say. I can imagine the brushstrokes I'll use, what colour paints. Well, if I make it home, that is. If I do, I'll paint that for Katniss. "I can see why that day made you happy."

"Well, I knew that goat would be a little gold mine," she says.

"Yes, of course I was referring to that, not the lasting joy you gave your sister you love so much you took her place in the reaping," I say.

"The goat _has _paid for itself. Several times over," she says in a superior tone.

"Well, it wouldn't dare do anything else after you saved its life," I say. "I intend to do the same thing."

"Really? What did you cost me?" she asks.

"A lot of trouble. Don't worry. You'll get it all back," I say.

"You're not making sense," she says. She checks my forehead again. "You're a little cooler, though."

I have to say, she's getting better at this acting thing.

We hear the trumpets and Katniss jumps up.

"Greetings, remaining tributes. There will be a feast at the Cornucopia at dawn," at this, Katniss waves her hand dismissively. "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation, but this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately. Each of you will find something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance," says Claudius.

I grab Katniss' shoulder and she jumps. "No," I say. "You're not risking your life for me."

"Who said I was?" she says.

"So you're not going?" I ask.

"Of course, I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm going straight into a free-for-all against Cato and Clove and Thresh? Don't be stupid," she says, helping me back to bed. Bed is the last place I want to be, though. "I'll let them figure it out; we'll see who's in the sky tomorrow night and work out a plan from there."

"You're such a bad liar, Katniss. I don't know how you've survived this long," I say. I start to mimic her, saying "_I knew that goat would be a little gold mine. You're a little cooler, though. Of course, I'm not going." _I shake my head. "Never gamble at cards. You'll lose your last coin."

Anger flashes in her eyes. "All right, I am going, and you can't stop me!"

"I can follow you. At least partway. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I'm yelling your name, I best someone can find me. And then I'll be dead for sure," I say.

"You won't get a hundred yards from here on that leg," says Katniss.

"Then I'll drag myself," I say. "You go and I'm going, too."

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch you die?" she says.

"I won't die. I promise. If you promise not to go," I say. Promises don't matter to me anymore. A dead man can't keep promises.

"Then you have to do what I say. Drink your water, wake me when I tell you, and eat every bite of the soup no matter how disgusting it is!" she snaps.

"Agreed. Is it ready?" I ask.

"Wait here," she says.

She comes back and feeds me the soup. It actually tastes pretty good. I tell her how good it is and she looks at me funny.

She goes off to the stream to wash up. I hear a beeping, she must have got some food or soap or something.

She comes back into the cave with a mixture of berries and some leaves that I think are mint.

"I've brought you a treat. I found a new patch of berries a little farther downstream."

I take a bite. They taste very sweet, and kind of familiar in a way. "They're very sweet."

"Yes, they're sugar berries. My mother makes jam from them. Haven't you ever had them before?" she says, feeding me another spoonful.

"They're sweet as syrup," I say. Then it clicks.

_Sleep syrup! She's putting me to sleep!_

"Syrup."

Before I can do anything, Katniss clamps her hands over my nose and mouth. I'm forced to swallow.

As I'm slipping into the depths of slumber, I see Katniss walking away.

"Who can't lie, Peeta?" I hear her say, before slipping into the oblivion known as sleep.

**A/N: How good am I? Twice in two days. You guys better review for this! :D**


	19. Chapter 18

I wake up to see Katniss lying in a very scary pool of blood. It's raining heavily outside. Her hand is on a syringe that's attached to my arm_. _I look at my leg, and it looks almost normal. I've got a scar and it's still slightly swollen, but I suspect that'll go down in the next few days. _So she went to the feast._

The first thing I do is check her pulse. It's there, faint, but there. I find the source of bleeding almost immediately, a cut to the forehead. I'd say it was made by Clove; she's the only one who could've got that shot.

I bandage her wound and lie her down in the sleeping bag. I stay on watch, changing her bandages when they get soaked through. I try to forego eating, but the lack of food while I was injured got to me, so I end up eating three pieces of groosling. I hear the anthem and see that Clove's dead. Early next morning she begins to rise.

"Katniss," I say. "Katniss, can you hear me?"

Her eyes fly open. She looks around and jumps when she sees me.

"Peeta."

"Hey," I say. "Good to see your eyes again."

"How long have I been out?" she asks.

"Not sure. I woke up yesterday evening and you were lying next to me in a very scary pool of blood," I say. "I think it's stopped finally, but I wouldn't sit up or anything."

She lifts her hand to her head and is surprised to feel bandages there. She looks a little dizzy so I give her some water.

"You're better," she says.

"Much better. Whatever you shot into my arm did the trick," I say. "By this morning, almost all the swelling in my leg was gone."

I try not to be angry while she's injured.

"Did you eat?" she asks.

"I'm sorry to say I gobbled down three pieces of that groosling before I realised it might have to last a while. Don't worry, I'm back on a strict diet," I say.

"No, it's good. You need to eat. I'll go hunting soon," she says.

"Not too soon, all right?" I say. "You just let me take care of you for a while."

I feed her some groosling and raisins and stand over her while she drinks some water. She seems cold, so I rub her feet to get them warmed up. I wrap them up in my jacket and tuck the sleeping bag back up to her chin.

"Your boots and socks are still damp and the weather's not helping much," I say. We hear thunder and a bolt of lightning can be seen through an opening in the rocks.

Rain is slowly making its way into our cave and the last thing that Katniss and I need is to get a cold or pneumonia, so I took Katniss' sheet of plastic and attached it to some rocks so that the holes near Katniss' head drip onto the plastic and not her.

"I wonder what brought on this storm. I mean, who's the target?" I ask.

"Cato and Thresh," says Katniss. "Foxface will be in her den somewhere, and Clove… she cut me and then..." Her voice trails off.

"I know Clove's dead. I saw it in the sky last night," I say. "Did you kill her?"

"No. Thresh broke her skull with a rock," she says.

"Lucky he didn't catch you, too," I say.

"He did. But he let me go."

"Why would he do something like that?" I ask.

"Well, Thresh and I are alike in some ways, one of them being that we don't like to be indebted to other people. I was in an alliance with Rue before I found you. We had a plan to get rid of the Career's food, so Rue was to light three fires to draw them away from camp. She lit two, and by that time I had blown up the food. The boy from three re-buried the land mines from around the tribute pedestals. The explosion made me deaf in my left ear. Cato killed the boy from 3. I walked back to find Rue and saw that she hadn't lit the third fire. I called out for her, but she didn't reply. I heard someone screaming, and I knew it was Rue. No one else in this arena was capable of making a noise like that," she said.

"She was caught in a net, so I cut her out. I heard a rustle and saw the boy from 1. My reaction times were slower because of the explosion, so I shot him in the neck, but he speared Rue through the stomach. I laid her in a bed of flowers and moved on. The people from 11 sent me bread. Thresh didn't kill me because of Rue. She saved my life."

"He let you go because he didn't want to owe you anything?" I ask.

"Yes. I don't expect you to understand it. You've always had enough. But if you'd lived in the Seam, I wouldn't have to explain," she says.

This rubs me the wrong way. Am I just too dumb to understand what's going on in her head?

"And don't try. Obviously I'm too dim to get it," I say.

"It's like the bread. How I never seem to get over owing you for that," she says.

"The bread? What? From when we were kids?" I say. "I think we can let that go. I mean, you just brought me back from the dead."

"But you didn't know me. We had never even spoken. Besides, it's the first gift that's always the hardest to pay back. I wouldn't have even been here to do it if you hadn't helped me back then," she says. "Why did you, anyway?"

"Why? You know why," I say. She gives a slight shake of her head. "Haymitch said you would take some convincing."

"Haymitch? What's he got to do with it?" she asks.

"Nothing," I say, steering clear of painful subject matter. "So, Cato and Thresh, huh? I guess it's too much to hope they'll simultaneously destroy each other?"

Katniss frowns. "I think we would like Thresh. I think he'd be our friend back in District 12," she says.

"Then let's hope Cato kills him so we don't have to," I say grimly.

Tears are pooling in her eyes. "What is it? Are you in a lot of pain?" I ask, jumping to overprotective mode.

"I want to go home, Peeta," she says. That was the last thing I thought she'd say.

"You will, I promise," I say. I bend over and kiss her, the first kiss that I've started.

_I just kissed Katniss _freaking_ Everdeen._

"I want to go home now," she says.

"Tell you what. You go back to sleep and dream of home. And you'll be there before you know it," I say. "Okay?"

"Okay. Wake me up if you need me to keep watch," she whispers.

"I'm good and rested, thanks to you and Haymitch. Besides, who knows how long this will last?" I say.

Katniss goes to sleep and the rain gets heavier. I put the pot that the broth was in under a hole in the cave; what used to be drops are now steady streams. I adjust the plastic to deflect the stream from Katniss and just sit for a while. When I wake her it's evening.

We're both hungry, so we have a look at what food we have left. Two groosling legs, some berries and some roots.

"Should we try and ration it?" I ask.

"No, let's just finish it. The groosling's getting old, anyway, and the last thing we need is to get sick off spoiled food," she says.

We try to eat slowly, but we're so hungry that we're done in a few minutes.

"Tomorrow's a hunting day," she says.

"I won't be much help with that," I say. "I've never hunted before."

"I'll kill and you cook," she says. "And you can always gather."

"I wish there was some sort of bread bush out there," I say.

"The bread they sent me from District 11 was still warm," she says. "Here, chew these."

She gives me some mint leaves to chew on. The anthem plays, no deaths tonight. Cato and Thresh mustn't be finished yet.

"Where did Thresh go? I mean, what's on the far side of the circle?" she asks.

"A field. As far as you can see it's full of grasses as high as my shoulders. I don't know, maybe some of them are grain. There are patches of different colours. But there are no paths," I say. I used to look at the field from the campsite, wondering what it was.

"I bet some of them are grain. I bet Thresh knows which ones, too," she says. "Did you go in there?"

"No. Nobody really wanted to track Thresh down in that grass. It has a sinister feeling to it. Every time I look at that field, all I can think of are hidden things. Snakes, and rabid animals, and quicksand," I say. "There could be anything in there."

"Maybe there's a bread bush in that field," she says. "Maybe that's why Thresh looks better fed now than when he entered the Arena."

"Either that or he's got very generous sponsors," I say. "I wonder what we'd have to do to get Haymitch to send us bread."

Katniss raises her eyebrows. "Well, he probably used up a lot of resources helping me knock you out," she says mischievously.

"Yeah, about that," I say, interlocking my fingers with Katniss'. "Don't try something like that again."

"Or what?" she asks.

"Or…or…" I start. Usually I'm very good at this, what's wrong with me? "Just give me a minute."

"What's the problem?" she asks.

"The problem is that we're both still alive. Which reinforces the idea in your mind that you did the right thing," I say.

"I did do the right thing," she says.

"No! Just don't, Katniss!" I tighten my grip. "Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favours. All right?"

"Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who… who worries about… what it would be like if..." she says. What does she worry about?

"If what, Katniss?"

"That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of."

I highly doubt that Haymitch would've been in a room with Katniss long enough to actually tell her what to talk about, but I'll play along. This is the perfect opportunity to get sponsors.

"Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself," I say. I move in on her and kiss her. This time, to my surprise, she kisses back.

_Well that's new._

I pull back, her wound's bleeding. I kiss her on her nose.

"I think your wound is bleeding again. Come on, lie down, it's bedtime anyway," I say.

I check her socks; they're dry enough to put on. She insists on taking the first watch. I say no, not until she's at least in the sleeping bag. I pull her head down for her to use my arm as a pillow.

Just before drifting off to sleep, I hear Katniss mumble, "Tomorrow, when it's dry, I'll find us a place so high in the trees we can both sleep in peace."

**A/N: I'll try to update at least once more this week, next week I'll be in Melbourne without my laptop. Reviews?**


	20. Chapter 19

Tomorrow's weather is no better. I'm considering going out and scavenging food, but Katniss tells me that it would be pointless.

We spend the day distracting ourselves from the pain in our stomachs by chatting and thinking. Katniss hums some tunes that I don't recognise.

Eventually the light outside dims into the evening sky. Katniss is wrapped up in the sleeping bag with me, and I'm trying to think of some way to get us food, but nothing's coming to my energy – deprived brain.

"Peeta," says Katniss. "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"

"Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were 5. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up," I say.

"Your father? Why?" she asks.

"He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,' " I say.

"What? You're making that up!" she says.

"No, true story," I say. "And I said, 'A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?' And he said, 'Because when he sings… even the birds fall silent to listen.' "

"That's true. They do. I mean, they did," she says.

"So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. You hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent," I say.

"Oh, please," she says.

"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew – just like your mother – I was a goner," I say. "Then for the next 11 years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you."

"Without success," she adds.

"Without success. So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck," I say.

She grins at me, but her face falls into a look of confusion.

"You have a… remarkable memory," she says haltingly.

"I remember everything about you," I say, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention."

"I am now," she says.

"Well, I don't have much competition here," I say.

"You don't have much competition anywhere," she says, leaning in. Our lips only just touch when we hear a clatter outside. I look through a crack in the rocks and, sure enough, we have a sponsor gift. I let out a "Whoop!" and bring it inside.

"I guess Haymitch finally got tired of watching us starve."

"I guess so," she answers.

We have a look at the contents and are shocked to see rolls, goat cheese, apples and a tureen of lamb stew, the one that Katniss said was her favourite in the interviews.

"We better take it slow on that stew. Remember first night on the train? The rich food made me sick and I wasn't even starving then," I say.

"You're right. And I could just inhale the whole thing!" sighs Katniss.

We each get a roll, half an apple and a small portion of stew and rice.

Once we're finished, Katniss looks longingly at the stew.

"I want more."

"Me, too. Tell you what. We wait an hour. We wait an hour, if it stays down, then we get another serving," I say.

"Agreed," she says. "It's going to be a long hour."

"Maybe not that long," I say. "What was that you were saying just before the food arrived? Something about me… no competition… best thing that ever happened to you…"

"I don't remember that last part," she says. She's blushing.

"Oh, right. That's what _I_ was thinking," I say. "Scoot over, I'm freezing."

She makes some room for me in the sleeping bag. We lean our backs on the cave wall, her head on my shoulder, my arms wrapped around her.

"So, since we were five, you never noticed any girls?" she asks.

"No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you," I say.

"I'm sure that would thrill your parents, you liking a girl from the Seam," she says.

"Hardly. But I couldn't care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won't be a girl from the Seam, you'll be a girl from the Victor's Village," I say.

She pauses for a while, and pulls a face of utter disgust, saying, "But then, our only neighbour will be Haymitch!"

"Ah, that'll be nice," I say, teasing her. "You and me and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games tales."

"I told you, he hates me!" she says, laughing.

"Only sometimes. When he's sober, I've never heard him say one negative thing about you," I say.

"He's never sober!" she says.

"That's right. Who am I thinking of? Oh, I know. It's Cinna that likes you. But that's mainly because you didn't try to run when he set you on fire," I say. "On the other hand, Haymitch… well, if I were you, I'd avoid Haymitch completely. He hates you."

The audience will love this, I can just tell.

"I thought you said I was his favourite," she says.

"He hates me more," I say. "I don't think people in general are his sort of thing."

We fall into silence for a while.

"How do you think he did it?" Katniss asks, breaking the silence.

"Who? Did what?" I say.

"Haymitch. How do you think he won the Games?" she says.

I think on this for a while. Too small to have killed everyone, not handsome enough to have entranced everyone. Only one option left.

"He outsmarted the others," I say.

She nods and we fall back into silence. We decide to eat again, and while Katniss is serving up the food, the anthem plays. I go to check if anyone's dead. Just one face appears tonight, but the one that I would've least expected to.

"There won't be anything to see tonight," she says. "Nothing's happened or we would've heard the cannon."

"Katniss," I say quietly.

"What? Should we split another roll, too?" she asks.

"Katniss," I repeat.

"I'm going to split one. But I'll save the cheese for tomorrow," she says. She sees me looking at her. "What?"

"Thresh is dead," I say.

"He can't be," she says.

"They must have fired the cannon during the thunder and we missed it," I say.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's pouring buckets out there. I don't know how you can see anything," she says. She pushes me over to see, and her face falls.

"You all right?" I ask.

She shrugs noncommittally and cups her elbows in her hands.

"It's just… if we didn't win… I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue."

"Yeah, I know," I say. "But this means we're one step closer to District 12." I nudge her plate of food into her hands. "Eat. It's still warm."

She takes a bite. "It also means Cato will be back hunting us."

"And he's got supplies again," I say.

"He'll be wounded, I bet," she says.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"Because Thresh would have never gone down without a fight. He's so strong, I mean, he was. And they were in his territory," she says.

"Good," I say. "The more wounded Cato is the better. I wonder how Foxface is making out."

"Oh, she's fine," she says. "Probably be easier to catch Cato than her."

"Maybe they'll just catch each other and we can both go home," I say. "But we better be extra careful about the watches. I dozed off a few times."

"Me, too," she says. "But not tonight."

We finish our food and I take first watch. She pulls her hood up over her face. I sit and think for a while.

_Mellark, you're almost there,_ I think. _Mental note: Give Logan a serious talking to about friendship and loyalty._

I get really hungry, so I take half a roll and spread some goat cheese over it. I then realise how tired I am, so I wake up Katniss and give her half of a roll.

I wake her up. "Don't be mad," I say. "I had to eat again. Here's your half."

"Oh, good," she says, taking a bite. "Mm."

"We make a goat cheese and apple tart at the bakery," I say.

"Bet that's expensive," she says.

"Too expensive for my family to eat. Unless it's gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale," I say. I pull up the sleeping bag and think of home, falling asleep almost instantly.

**A/N: This is probably going to be my last post this week, but if you send me reviews, I'll try and update on either a week from Sunday or the Monday following that. Thanks for sticking with the story, your support is appreciated.**


	21. Chapter 20

I wake to Katniss shaking me. I open my eyes and pull Katniss down for a kiss.

"We're wasting hunting time," she says after she breaks away.

"I wouldn't call it wasting," I say, stretching. "So do we hunt on empty stomachs to give us an edge?"

"Not us," she says. "We stuff ourselves to give us staying power."

"Count me in," I say. I'm a little bit surprised when she divides up the rest of the stew and rice, but I go along with it. "All this?"

"We'll earn it back today," she says. It's even good cold. Katniss spoons up the last bits of gravy with her finger. "I can feel Effie Trinket shuddering at my manners."

"Hey Effie, watch this!" I say, licking my plate clean. I blow a kiss and say, "We miss you Effie!"

She covers my mouth, laughing.

"Stop! Cato could be right outside our cave."

I grab her hand and get it away from my mouth. "What do I care? I've got you to protect me now," I say, pulling her to me.

"Come one," she says exasperatedly. I get in another kiss before she wriggles her way out of my grasp.

We get packed and head outside, the mood darkening to serious. Katniss hands me a knife and I slip it into my belt.

"He'll be hunting us by now," I say. "Cato isn't one to wait for his prey to wander by."

"If he's wounded-" she begins.

"It won't matter," I say. "If he can move, he's coming."

We stop to replenish our water and Katniss goes to check snares and returns empty handed.

"If we want food, we better head back up to my old hunting grounds," she says.

"Your call. Just tell me what you need me to do," I say.

"Keep an eye out," she says. "Stay on the rocks as much as possible, no sense in leaving him tracks to follow. And listen for both of us."

We've just passed my hiding spot when Katniss turns and glares at me.

"What?" I ask.

"You've got to move more quietly," she says. "Forget about Cato, you're chasing off every rabbit in a ten-mile radius."

"Really?" I say. "Sorry, I didn't know."

We start again and I really try being quiet, but we only get a little of the way before Katniss turns to me again.

"Can you take your boots off?" she suggests.

"Here?" I ask in disbelief. Why here? The ground is rough.

"Yes," she says. I can tell she's trying to be patient with me. "I will, too. That way we'll both be quieter."

We strip off our socks and boots, but in the couple of hours it takes to get to Katniss' old campsite, she hasn't shot anything. I feel really bad about it; I can tell she's getting agitated. We stop to rest and get drinks.

"Katniss," I say. "We need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game."

"Only because you're leg's hurt," she says. She's trying to make me feel better, which is nice of her, but unnecessary.

"I know," I say. "So, why don't you go on? Show me some plants to gather and that way we'll both be useful."

"Not if Cato comes and kills you," she says.

I laugh. "Look, I can handle Cato. I fought him before, didn't I?"

"What if you climbed a tree and acted as a lookout while I hunted?" she asks.

"What if you show me what's edible around here and go get us some meat?" I ask, mimicking her tone. "Just don't go too far in case you need help."

She sighs and shows me some roots to dig. She teaches me a bird whistle and tells me to whistle every so often to let her know I'm all right.

I pick roots and exchange whistles every now and then with Katniss. I see a patch of berries further down and put my supplies down to go and pick them.

"Peeta!" I hear. What's Katniss doing? "Peeta!"

I make my way out of the brush and almost die of fright to see Katniss, arrow pointed at me. She almost shoots me, too. I jump, flinging the berries I'd picked back.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be here, not running around the woods!"

"I found some berries don by the stream," I say, confused by her anger.

"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" she snaps.

"I didn't hear. The waters too loud, I guess," I say. I walk to Katniss and put my hands on her shoulders. She's trembling.

"I thought Cato killed you!" she yells.

"No, I'm fine." I wrap my arms around her. "Katniss?"

She pushes away. "If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"

"All right!" I say.

"All right. Because that's what happened with Rue, and I watched her die!"

She turns away and goes to get some water from the pack.

"And you ate without me!" she yells.

"What? No I didn't," I say. It's weird; I could've sworn nothing touched the supplies.

"Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese," she says.

"I don't know who ate the cheese," I say, trying not to lose my temper, "but it wasn't me. I've been down by the stream collecting berries. Would you care for some?"

She takes a few and rolls them between her fingers in deep thought. A cannon fires. Katniss whips around and I raise my eyebrows at her. I turn to see Catherine being taken into a hovercraft.

Fear runs through me. The hovercraft is close, Cato won't be too far away at this rate, and he'll have his sword.

I take Katniss' arm and push her towards a tree.

"Climb. He'll be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting from above."

Katniss stops me. "No, Peeta, she's your kill, not Cato's."

"What? I haven't seen her since the first day," I say. "How could I have killed her?"

She holds out the berries in response.

Katniss explains that Catherine stole food from the career's before Katniss blew it up. The explosion caused her deafness. She thought that the berries I'd picked were safe, so she ate them and died.

"I wonder how she found us," I say. "My fault, I guess, if I'm as loud as you say."

"And she's very clever, Peeta. Well, she was. Until you outfoxed her."

"Not on purpose. Doesn't seem fair, somehow. I mean, we would have both been dead, too, if she hadn't eaten the berries first," I say. "No, of course we wouldn't. You recognized them, didn't you?"

She nods. "We call them nightlock."

"Even the name sounds deadly," I say. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I really thought they were the same ones you'd gathered."

"Don't apologize. It just means we're one step closer to home, right?" she asks.

"I'll get rid of the rest," I say. I gather the plastic together, careful to get all of the berries inside, and go to toss them in the woods.

"Wait!" Katniss cries. She pulls out the leather pouch that belonged to Marvel and fills it with some berries. "If they fooled Foxface, maybe they can fool Cato as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally drop the pouch and if he eats them-"

"Then hello District 12," I finish.

"That's it," she says, securing the pouch to her belt.

"He'll probably know where we are now," I say. "If he was anywhere nearby and saw the hovercraft, he'll know we killed her and come after us."

"Let's make a fire. Right now." Katniss begins gathering up branches and twigs.

"Are you ready to face him?" I ask.

"I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have the chance. If he knows we're here, he knows. But he also knows there's two of us and probably assumes we were hunting Foxface. That means you're recovered. And the fire means that we're not hiding, we're inviting him here. Would you show up?" she asks.

"Maybe not," I say.

I light a fire and in no time Katniss has the rabbits and squirrels roasting, the roots which are wrapped in leaves baking in the coals. We take turns gathering greens and keeping watch for Cato, but he doesn't turn up.

When the food's cooked, Katniss wraps it up in the plastic, after washing off any traces of nightlock. We eat a rabbit leg each as we walk.

Katniss suggests that we should climb a tree to sleep in for the night, but I resist. "I can't climb like you, Katniss, especially with my leg, and I don't think I could ever fall asleep fifty feet above the ground."

"It's not safe to stay in the open, Peeta," she says.

"Can't we go back to the cave?" I ask. "It's near water and easy to defend."

She sighs. "Sure. Let's go back to the cave."

I'm relieved. Sleeping in a tree is about as safe as sleeping in the open, for me anyway. "Well, that was easy."

Before we leave, we throw some more wood on the fire so Cato doesn't think that we've moved. The water level's dropped significantly, so Katniss suggests we walk in the stream. I'm happy to oblige, my feet are sore from the long trip to the hunting ground.

The trip is less arduous but still as lengthy; when we reach the cave the sun is setting. The sky lights up with Catherine's face and I feel sorrow for her death; she seemed like a nice girl and probably would've had a lot of friends in District 5, maybe even a boyfriend. Katniss senses my dismay, so she takes first watch. I settle into the sleeping bag, thoughts of Adriana and Catherine and Glimmer running through my head.

**A/N: This is definitely the last post for this week; I'm leaving for Melbourne tomorrow. Hopefully I'll update next Sunday, but if not I'll definitely update around then. Reviews for my triumphant return? :D**


	22. Chapter 21

Katniss has been kind and let me sleep past our usual trade-off on watches. I can tell because the sky's getting light in preparation for sunrise.

"I slept the whole night. That's not fair, Katniss, you should have woken me."

She stretches and burrows down into the bag. "I'll sleep now. Wake me if anything interesting happens."

As per usual, nothing of any interest happens. I'm not really surprised, though, Cato doesn't know where we are and we left no tracks on the way back. Unless somehow he can track us with his nose, he's got little to no chance of finding us. I pass the hours by thinking of home and playing with my token. I wonder how Delly is, how she's holding up. If she's watching. What would she think of Katniss?

My thoughts occupy me until the afternoon, when I wake Katniss.

"Any sign of our friend?" she asks.

"No, he's keeping a disturbingly low profile."

"How long do you think we'll have before the Gamemakers drive us together?" she asks.

"Well, Foxface died almost a day ago, so there's been plenty of time for the audience to place bets and get bored. I guess it could happen at any moment," I say.

"Yeah, I have a feeling today's the day," she says. She sits up and looks out at the terrain. "I wonder how they'll do it."

I remain silent. I mean, what can I say?

"Well, until they do, there's no use wasting a hunting day. But we should probably eat as much as we can hold just in case we run into trouble," she says.

I pack up our gear while Katniss prepares the remainder of our measly amount of leftover food. We eat the leftover rabbit, roots, greens and the rolls with goat cheese spread over them. She keeps the squirrel and the apple in case we don't catch anything.

When we leave the cave, it feels right. It has a sense of finality to it. The end of the games feels… real now. On the first day, I thought there was no chance in hell that I would be able to make it this far, let alone with Katniss as my ally. I just assumed she'd drop me once we got in but maybe the whole time she was just trying to find me. Maybe she likes me back, too. When we kissed… it felt like there was something there. Like she wanted it.

Katniss leads the way, stopping to pat the rocks, as if saying goodbye. We head to the stream because Katniss says she needs to wash up. I have no objections to this seeing as I don't really smell that nice anyway.

We reach the stream, or, more like, the remains of the stream. Katniss bends down to feel the stream bed.

"Not even a little damp. They must have drained it while we slept," she says.

"The lake," I say. "That's where they want us to go."

"Maybe the ponds still have some," she says.

"We can check," I say. We head over to the pond and find it, as suspected, empty.

"You're right. They're driving us to the lake," she says. "Do you want to go straightaway or wait until the water's tapped out?"

"Let's go now while we have food and rest. Let's just go end this thing," I say.

She nods. It's odd, I started this competition as Cato's ally and now I'm ending it with his number 1 enemy. It's funny, sometimes, how things work out.

I wrap my arms around her.

"Two against one. Should be a piece of cake," I say.

"Next time we eat, it will be in the Capitol," she says.

"You bet it will," I say.

We stand there for a while, locked in our embrace. We wordlessly break apart and head for the lake.

I try to step lightly but I still end up sending animals away with every step I take. Katniss didn't seem to mind, though.

We stop for a minute under the tree where the bugs attacked me. I see the spot where I found Adriana's body, the place where Glimmer lay, covered in lumps. I see the husk of the hive of the bugs that attacked me.

"Let's move on," says Katniss. I don't object.

This place holds bad memories. I will be glad to be rid of it when Katniss and I win.

We reach the Cornucopia in the early evening. No sign of Cato anywhere. We circle the Cornucopia to confirm that Cato hasn't pulled a Catherine and hidden on the inside. We cross to the lake and fill our water bottles.

Katniss frowns at the sun. "We don't want to fight him after dark. There's only one pair of glasses."

I squeeze some iodine into the water. "Maybe that's what he's waiting for. What do you want to do? Go back to the cave?"

"Either that or find a tree. But let's give him another half hour or so. Then we'll take cover," she says.

We sit by the lake for a while, there's no point in hiding now. Katniss sings a four note tune and all of the mockingjays pick it up.

"Just like your father," I say.

Her hand moves to the pin on her shirt. "That's Rue's song," she says. "I think they remember it."

The notes overlap and a heavenly combination of notes occurs. Katniss just sits with her eyes closed, the corners of her mouth turned upwards. All of a sudden, the runs cut off in jagged stops. Their calls turn into high pitched screeches.

We're on our feet; me armed with my knife and Katniss with her bow. Cato crashes through the greenery. He has no weapons, but is still heading straight towards us. It doesn't matter that much, Katniss told me he snapped Toby's neck with his hands. Katniss shoots, but the arrow falls to the side.

"He's got some kind of body armour!" she shouts.

Cato rockets towards us and I brace myself, but he runs straight past us. Katniss turns right around and follows suit.

I turn to see what has scared the two fiercest competitors in these Games turn on their heels.

Then, I see them.

The muttations.

I start running like my life depends on it, which, speaking literally, it does. Cato's heading straight for the Cornucopia, Katniss hot on his heels. I'm in no position to argue with their decisions so I follow Katniss.

She sprints to the Cornucopia and turns around, sprinting towards me. I feel the hot breath of a mutt on my neck and try to run faster, but I hear a wail and see that Katniss has shot it down.

I wave her away, saying, "Go, Katniss! Go!"

She takes my advice and starts to climb the Cornucopia. I see her turn to Cato, bow loaded, and aims. I let out a cry as I feel a sharp pain in my leg.

Typical that my one good leg gets injured.

My leg feels like it's been lit on fire. "Climb!" I hear Katniss yell.

I try my best and get up onto the Cornucopia. I feel a mutt beside me and Katniss shoots it down. I reach her feet and she grabs my hand and pulls me up.

I hear Cato cough out, "Can they climb it?"

"What?" shouts Katniss.

"He said, 'Can they climb it?'" I answer.

The mutts assemble. They start to rear up on their hind legs, giving them an eerily human quality. They put their snouts on the horn, scratching and sniffing the metal, occasionally making high pitched yipping sounds to each other.

Great. They can communicate.

A blonde-furred mutt leaps at the Cornucopia, missing by about 10 feet. Katniss shrieks and her arrow shakes in her bow.

She shoots a mutt. "Katniss?" I ask.

"It's her!" she yells.

"Who?" I ask.

She turns her head from side to side, a look of complete terror on her face.

"What is it Katniss?" I ask.

"It's them. All of them. The others. Rue and Foxface and… all of the other tributes," she chokes out.

I gasp. I look at their eyes… I see a pair of eyes that I know well. Deep, brown ones. I look at its tag. It has the number four on it.

_Adriana tried to kill me._

"What did they do to them? You don't think… those could be their real eyes?"

I don't get an answer. I hear a snap and feel myself being pulled back on my injured leg. I mean the most _recently_ injured leg.

Katniss holds on to me.

"Kill it, Peeta, kill it!" I hear Katniss yell.

I pull my knife out and stab blindly at the muttation until I feel the pull lessen. Katniss heaves me back over the edge.

I stand beside Katniss while she shoots a mutt that could only have been Thresh. I could tell because it was the one that jumped the highest.

I feel a pull and feel strong muscles wrap around my neck, cutting off the air from my windpipe.

I claw at his arm, not sure if I should make an attempt to stop my leg bleeding or try to get Cato to let go of me.

Katniss stands a bit away, arrow pointed at Cato's head. He laughs.

"Shoot me and he goes down with me."

He makes a good point.

The edges of my vision start turning black. A thought strikes me.

I get a bit of blood on my finger and paint an 'x' on his hand. I mouth the word 'shoot'. The arrow reaches its mark a second before Cato realises what's happening. He releases me as a reflex and I take that opportunity to slam back against him I lose my balance for a moment and Katniss dives to catch me. I don't fall, just stumble.

We hear Cato hit the ground and hear the air rush out of him. Katniss and I clutch each other, trying to block out the snarls and growls coming from the ground below us.

We hear the occasional clanging sound of metal-on-metal, so he must have a weapon on him. Add in the fact that he's got the body armour and that he's, well, him, and he may have a shot against the mutts.

Scary thought.

I think about the tribute mutts. What about Clove? How does Cato feel that his girlfriend died and is now, in mutt-form, trying to kill him?

I feel kind of sorry for the guy.

It feels like an eternity before I hear the mutts drag him away. I know that it's still going to be a while before the mutts kill him; the audience want a show, and the Gamemakers are hired to make the show 'interesting'.

Katniss turns to me and turns pale at the sight of my leg.

_Not this again,_ I think.

She cuts a sleeve from her shirt, securing it around my leg and securing it with an arrow.

I feel a little bit faint, so I lie down.

I unzip my jacket and Katniss climbs in with me.

"Cato may win this thing yet," she whispers.

"Don't you believe it," I say, pulling up the hood.

The next hours are excruciating. The cold mixed with the occasional yelps are almost too much to handle.

"Why don't they just kill him?" asks Katniss.

"You know why," I say, pulling her closer to me.

_I'm so tired,_ I think, _so very tired._

"Don't go to sleep," I hear.

I try my hardest but it' no easy feat. I drift off a few times, each time being woken with Katniss screaming my name. It gets louder every time. With nothing to occupy our interests, I focus on the sky. I point out to Katniss the subtle shifts of the moon.

Hours later, I see a bit of gold in the black night sky.

"The sun is rising," I whisper.

Katniss puts her ear on the horn.

"I think he's closer now. Katniss, can you shoot him?" I ask.

"My last arrow's in your tourniquet," she says.

"Make it count," I say.

She gets up and moves to the mouth of the Cornucopia. She shoots.

"Did you get him?" I ask.

The canon answers my question.

"Then we won, Katniss," I say hollowly.

"Hurray for us," she says.

We wait for the hovercraft to come and watch the mutts bound into a hole in the ground.

"Hey!" Katniss shouts. "What's going on?"

"Maybe it's the body. Maybe we have to move away from it," I say.

"Okay. Think you can make it to the lake?" she asks.

"Think I better try," I say.

We make our way to the edge of the lake inch by inch. We make it to the lake and a mockingjay call signals the arrival of the hovercraft.

We wait for the trumpets, for Claudius Templesmith to announce us victors.

He doesn't.

"What are they waiting for?" I ask.

"I don't know," she says.

Katniss finds a stick to tie my tourniquet with.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the 74th Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rulebook has disclosed that only on winner be allowed," Claudius says. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."

There's a small burst of static and then everything is quiet. Katniss stares at me in disbelief.

"If you think about it, it's not that surprising," I say.

I reach towards my knife and in an instant Katniss has her bow loaded and aimed at my heart. I raise my eyebrows and throw my knife into the lake.

Katniss drops her weapon, blushing.

"No," I say. "Do it." I limp towards her and hand her back the weapon.

"I can't," she says. "I won't."

"Do it. Before they send back those mutts or something. I don't want to die like Cato," I say.

"Then you shoot me," she says, shoving the bow into my hands. "You shoot me and go home and live with it!"

"You know I can't," I say, throwing the weapons. "Fine. I'll go first anyway."

I reach down and rip off my tourniquet.

"No, you can't kill yourself," she says. She tries to put the bandage on my wound again.

"Katniss," I say. "It's what I want."

"You're not leaving me here alone," she says.

"Listen," I say, pulling her to her feet. "We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me. I've loved you since the first time we met, Katniss, and I haven't stopped loving you, not until this day. The day I die. You can't just… you can't give up. You deserve to go home. You have a life. Friends. A little sister to take care of. I have none of that. So just do it, leave me. Go home and be a victor."

I see her grab for a pouch on her belt.

_The nightlock!_

I clamp my hand around her wrist. "No, I won't let you."

"Trust me," she whispers. She pours some berries into my hands. She fills her own. "On the count of three?"

I lean down and kiss her gently. "The count of three."

We stand together.

"Hold them out. I want everyone to see," I say.

We hold them out to the invisible crowd.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

We lift our hands to our mouths, filling them with berries.

A frantic Claudius Templesmith speaks.

"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you – the tributes from District 12!"

I spit the berries from my mouth, scraping my tongue to clear any remaining juice. I pull Katniss to the lake to flush our mouths out.

"You didn't swallow any?" she asks.

I shake my head. "You?"

"Guess I'd be dead now if I did," she says.

"That's true," I say, but I know she can't hear me over the roar of the audience being played live from the Capitol. The hovercraft materializes over us and we hold onto the ladders that come down for us. We grab on, but don't let go of each other. I'm grateful for the electrical current keeping me on the wire, I know I wouldn't be able to hold on by myself. Sure enough, as soon as I got onto the hovercraft my vision blacked out and I felt myself fall.

**A/N: Guys I am so sorry! I got heaps of assignments and stuff this week so this was the earliest I could update. I hope the length makes up for the delay and I would really appreciate it if you guys could review :) thank you**


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